Tideland Signal has supplied a package of navigational warning systems for the Ekofisk complex in the North Sea to replace redundant older systems and to interface with earlier Tideland equipment which has been in service for some 25 years.
Production at Ekofisk began in 1971 but today the operative parts of the complex consist of bridge-linked accommodation, production, well head, drilling and processing facilities. The original Tideland equipment protects the northern end of the complex, while the new systems have been installed on the various structures running on from 2/4C to the South Flare.
Two Syncrolan light stations, incorporating a Tideland MaxLumina ML-300-SL-400-Ex main light and ML-300 Ex secondary light, are installed at either end of this chain of structures. The Syncrolan on 2/4H is equipped with local controls while the one on the South Flare, is controlled from 2/4W. A further six subsidiary lights are located along the bridges and other structures from the Number 3 Bridge Support southwards.
All the secondary and subsidiary ML-300 Ex lanterns are supplied complete with LC6Ex six-place flasher lampchangers. The flasher units are housed externally in a stainless steel Exd enclosure wired to a stainless Exe junction box and mounted on a stainless pedestal. A remote monitoring and control panel installed at 2/4C provides alarm warnings to indicate if any of the lights should fail. Tideland also developed its GPS synchroniser to allow a programmable timing offset so that the new system could synchronize with other less flexible equipment within the complex.
Among the Tideland equipment previously supplied for Ekofisk are two SeaBeacon 2 racons which are used to mark the two booster platforms on the 275 mile gas pipeline from the complex to the Emden Terminal in Germany.
(www.tidelandsignal.com)