Author: bomuo

In the offshore oil industry, floating structures are used in areas where deep water results in the cost of a jacket fixed to the sea floor being too expensive to realize a sufficient economic return, even for large oil reserves. Such floating structures have been semi-submersibles, a column stabilized vessel that is moored in place by the use of multiple anchors, single column spar type structures, that are moored in place by multiple anchors, dynamically positioned vessels that use a number of thrusters to hold the vessel in position at the site, and tension leg platforms. Each structure has advantages and disadvantages. The dynamically positioned vessels eliminate the need for anchors and mooring lines, they present a large surface area to waves and currents, which can result in a substantial amount of power required to hold the vessel in position. The large surface area also results in the vessel being subject to heave, pitch, and roll motions in response to wave action.

A method by which a floating offshore drilling rig, or an LNG vessel, is maintained in position over an offshore well location automatically in severe weather conditions including waves of up to 16 meters and wind speed of up to 41 meters per second. Generally, several motors called thrusters are located on the hull(s) of the structure and are actuated by a sensing system. A computer to which the system feeds signals then directs the thrusters to maintain the rig on location.

According to the Israeli Petroleum Law: The Minister may require lessees to supply first, at the market price, out of the petroleum produced by them in Israel and the petroleum products produced therefrom, such quantity of petroleum and petroleum products as, in his opinion, is required for Israeli consumption, and to refine it in Israel as far as they have refining facilities and to sell it in Israel. For this purpose, the Minister may require lessees to produce petroleum from their existing wells at a rate sufficient for the said purposes