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I'm employed by a specialist hire company . One of the main activities of the Company is supplying specialist pumping and filtration equipment to the oil industry. When an oil rig is being built (which often takes two or more years to build ) all the equipment has to be tested and commissioned. Our company supplies all the temporary pumping and filtration equipment as to simulate conditions as if the rig was in operation . An oil rig is like a small town and requires vast amounts of water in excess of 4000,000 gallons an hour and pressures up to 300 pounds per square inch ! This exercise can take up to six to eight months and during this time the men work on the rig as if it was in production in the sea .. and go on leave and return again . Once the commissioning of the module is completed, it has to be physically lifted and moved to the quayside ( which may be a thousand metres away ) and moved on to a deep sea barge. the record lift in the U.K. for that matter in the world is 12,000 tons ! the lifting is achieved by the use of special hydraulic trailers. Each trailer has 64 wheels and can lift 400 tons so up to 50 of these special trailers are required to move the module. The trailers are able to lift up or down by about three feet and can turn through 360 degrees. once trailers are fixed under the module they are all tied in by one central computer ie : one wheel turns they all turn so 3200 turn in unison . The next part of the operation involves the use of up to 100 pumps installed into the barge (the barge is split up into about 40 or more tanks. ) as the module moves from the quayside on to the barge my responsibility is to keep the barge level at all times by pumping water into and out of the barge, while allowing for the rise and fall of the tide ! (the tide can rise and fall up to 20 feet in 12 hours ) also allowing for the weight of the module coming on .. so all in all a bit of juggling takes place and many crossed fingers . The operation can take up to 12 hours before the module is safely on the barge .

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An oil rig starts it life on a vacant bit of land and in various sheds, the whole structure is put together and tested over a period of up to two years, then the day comes to shift it for it's journey to the ocean
(2) The barge is made ready. Pumps ok.
(1) The module is made ready ashore
(3) The Start of the loadout ballasting with pumps (4) Half way now and going well ........ the blue & red objects are the trailers, the guy on the right in yellow is driving the lot by computer
A fifteen story twelve thousand ton oil rig in the making
Two years in the making & commissioning . Loaded out from the Kvaerner Oil & Gas yard Methil Fife Scotland the Captain oil rig is now on line deep in the North Sea producing oil.
(5) Just about there after 8 hours The finished product after two years work involving over 2,000 men and 46 companies now producing oil in the hostile North sea with waves of over 70'
(6) 12 Hours later and 12,000 tons secured on to the barge Giant 3 . which weighs 10,000 ton
Another rig completed and on line
And how about this a 14 story 9,000 ton module being lifted by a floating crane in the north sea looks like a toy.
And you thought the pic above was impressive. the ship pictured here is the Mighty Servant 3 . not only has it the got the barge Giant 3 on it's deck it also has the module as well about 20,000 tons in all (The Mighty Servant 3 is a specialized ship which carries very heavy loads around the ocean's )
Another job completed rig safe on barge... all smiles now after 16hours. Oh ! that's me on the left a bit tired and ready for a shower. Darren & Billy Look Ok .... must have been sleeping somewhere (only kidding lads)
Here I'm testing equipment in the works
Steaming for home in bad weather
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