The new Saipem 12000 vessel is using the floats type Riser Shims manufactured by Resinex to equip the steel pipes used for the oil drilling in deep water. The vessel of the engineering company of the Eni group, built in the Samsung Heavy Industries yards in South Korea is provided with these floats.
The 89 special floats have been manufactured with an external shell in orange Elastorex and filled with a syntactic compound able to withstand a hydrostatic pressure of 370 bars. Consequently they can safely work at a water depth of 12.000 feet, j
ust shy of 4.000 metres.
They have a high elasticity and an excellent resistance to any crash and have been tested at Resinex Marine Research Centre in Adro (BS), one of the most equipped laboratories in Europe for the tests of very high depths.
A complete riser shim, has an external diameter of 1,464 metres and an internal diameter of 0,546. It is 2 metre long and weighs 2000 kilos.
Resinex Riser Shims are used to equip steel riser joints, hoses complete of auxiliary lines clamps, of a length of 90 feet (27 metres) each, equipped with the vessel.
Even before being finished, the Saipem 12000, was hired for a period of 5 years (more two years of option) by the French company Total. It will be used until the first quarter of 2015 for the development of the Pazflor oilfield in the Angola offshore. It is able to work in deep waters up to 12.000 feet.
