Builds mobile data centers

Text and photo: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

Two ordinary offshore shipping containers are being converted into advanced data centers. The company that has ordered the job owns several of the seismic boats in Lundevågen and is already a large customer of FFS.

- It's fun to get such an assignment, says Christoffersen, and steps into one of the two blue containers in the workshop.

HERE IT IS rigged with three office spaces. FFS has done all the mechanical work, installed doors and windows, made a workbench, laid a new floor and installed wall and ceiling tiles.

Outside the other container, Gebremedhin Tefatsion is painting. Inside the "steel box" work two electricians from Tratec Teknikken, who have been hired to do the electrical work.

No less than three heat pumps are installed in each container. Computer racks must be inserted. In addition, there are monitors, drivers and hard drives.

- IT'S GETTING EXTREME hot inside the containers with so much computer equipment - hence the heat pumps, Christoffersen explains.

The oil industry uses seismic as a tool to search for oil and gas. The method involves sending the pressure wave into the earth.

Parts of the pressure waves are reflected when it reaches a geological boundary. The signal is sent back to the surface after a few seconds.

THE BROADCAST of the pressure waves occur from seismic boats. Also on the operation is a boat that receives the signals. It is on board these that the data containers built by FFS will stand.

- They will be placed on deck, and can easily be moved around from boat to boat, says Christoffersen.