Christmas assignment as a drilling rig

Text: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

- An area must be filled in with mass. But before that can happen, it is necessary to take bottom samples to make sure that the ground can actually withstand the filling, says John W. Nilsen, general manager of FFS.

The crane vessel FFS Amon functions in many ways as a drilling rig. An engineering company has been hired to take the necessary tests.

- FFS AMON have had several similar assignments in the past, so we are good at this, says Nilsen.

He says that the big advantage of FFS Amon is that the boat has a four-point mooring system.

- We have four winches on board that we can anchor on. This allows us to anchor in one position, and then drag our way over. This allows us to drill several holes on one anchorage, he says.

FFS Amon also has support legs that are used in the shallower areas. If it gets deeper, an anchor is used. Several of the holes are drilled at a depth of 40 metres.

- IT IS TAKEN different tests. Some core samples, some total soundings and some so-called CPTs that show the hardness in the bottom, says Nilsen.

FFS Amon has two men on board. The client provides the rig itself and personnel to operate it.

The assignment started at the beginning of December and will last until Christmas.