Structural Assessment of an Offshore Platform Subjected to a Ship Collision

Abstract

Oil and gas platforms are exposed to ship accidents, which is an unavoidable event. Ships have been developed recently, where it becomes larger and more equipped. Design standards established guidelines that take into consideration collision energy into design calculations. Researchers have been calling for an update since 2004, as these criteria have remained unchanged for a long time. In 2019, the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) standard revised the standard vessel mass to be 6500-10,000 tons displacement, and the updates are continuing to the other relevant standards. Another standard calculated the collision energy using a standard vessel with a displacement of 5,000 tons moving with speed 2 m/s. This paper investigates and analyzes a jack-up platform that is impacted by a standard vessel using the ductility design principle. The collision is numerically modeled using ABAQUS software. Three different scenarios are considered. The results of displacement, impact force, and energy have been assessed and explained to each member. The members suffered considerable damage after being impacted by a vessel of 5,000 tons. This study can help in the development of standards for offshore structures that consider higher collision energies.