Offshore Wind Consultants (OWC), with sister company AqualisBraemar , has completed its 1,000th leg penetration assessment (LPA), which is conducted before deploying jack-up vessels at a project.
LPA is an analytical study of soil conditions to predict the anticipated leg penetrations and potential risks to jack-up vessels during their offshore deployment, mainly based on the ground conditions at the project site.
According to OWC, LPA is a tool for jack-up owners and field operators to work out the installation plan, and is an important part of the site-specific assessment to understand the structural integrity and capability for vessels installed at specific sites.
“The significance of 1,000 LPAs is more than just a number, it is something wind farm developers can benefit from in many ways,” said Zheming Li , Principal Consultant at OWC.
“Based on the corresponding installation record data, OWC has developed an extensive database and in-depth knowledge on leg penetration predictions at different sites with challenging ground conditions. This allows us to repeatedly optimise LPA services to provide high-quality prediction and to mitigate relevant risks effectively.”
OWC emphasized that a wrong leg penetration analysis could have serious consequences, such as structural failures, instability or leg damages to the jack-up unit, and could even lead to personnel injuries or fatalities.
From a commercial perspective, a wrong LPA could have a detrimental impact on project schedule due to delayed jack-up deployment as a result of unexpected installation difficulties, the company concluded.