ICON exports deepwater drilling safety innovation to Africa

Reduces ‘locked to bottom’ heave compensation safety risks
Builds on Gulf of Mexico sales

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Readying the ARTP C-Series for transportation

ICON Engineering has announced the first of its patented ARTP (Advanced Riser Tension Protector) heave compensated tension lift frames has been exported for use in a client’s drilling programme in offshore West Africa.

ICON said the export of one of its ARTP C-Series was recognition that its work in designing and field testing this range of deepwater drilling heave compensators is proof that mitigating operational risk to As Low As Reasonably Possible (ALARP) is good business for operators and drilling companies.

ICON Managing Director David Field said he saw the growth of Africa’s offshore sector as promising: “We’ve seen international operators pick up technical advances from markets such as the North Sea and Australia. We’re very happy to now offer African operators this same level of ALARP risk mitigation.”

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Lifting the ARTP C-Series prior to shipping

ICON has been developing its range of heave compensated tension lift frames since 2009 and finished field testing its latest designs during 2016 with successful operations on the Ichthys, Wheatstone and Tidepole (North West Shelf) LNG projects in Western Australia.

The company is also closing in on its 100th sale of its popular range of conductor tensioner units with a recent sale to Mexican operator Oro Negro for use in the Gulf of Mexico. This year, ICON celebrates its 20th year of operation.

Further Information for Editors

ICON has installed more offshore platforms with jackup drilling rigs than any other company worldwide and is expert in minimal facilities installation techniques such as Minnowpods, Monopods and Annex platforms.
ICON’s work won a British Government engineering award for the innovative North Sea design and installation method of Shell’s Skiff oilfield and installed the first fixed platform in the Timor Sea.
ICON has carried out the deepest and lowest cost deployment of flexible flowlines carried out from a semi-submersible drilling rig in Australia and has pioneered mini-floatover technology for installing small topsides in weight range up to 1200 tonnes.
ICON is world leader in the supply of conductor tensioning systems for jackup drilling rigs from the Gippsland Basin to the Gulf of Mexico and is renowned for completing difficult upgrades to drilling rigs outside shipyards in remote offshore locations.
ICON’s growing equipment division sells and rents equipment internationally and focuses on developing niche equipment to support construction and drilling operations.
ICON dominates the Australian market for heave compensated systems and for drilling locked to bottom well test conditions. This is the area of compensation that requires the highest level of reliability.