Arrival of the HLV on site: A new milestone in installing the mooring system

The HLV’s role: from logistics to installation

The HLV made a first stop at Pointe-Noire, where she was reconfigured from transit to installation mode. Crews performed final inspections, fine-tuning, and preparations to guarantee flawless emplacement of the cargo. Aboard, several essential components were carefully repositioned to facilitate their offshore installation:

• The Yoke, ultimate element of the mooring system, is destined to be linked to the FLNG by anchor chains;
• The Yoke foundation, engineered to ensure stability and resistance to the ocean’s extremes and to serve as the pivotal connection point for the FLNG;
• The riser, terminal conduit in the gas-transfer chain.

Once this preparatory phase was completed, the HLV proceeded to the operations site, where it was ready to install these assets in sequence. It will first lower the Yoke foundation—an operation demanding perfect synchronisation between deck crews and subsea specialists. It will then install the riser, securing the connection between the seabed and the floating FLNG unit.

Precise coordination with the other mobilised vessels

The success of these undertakings is based on the synergy of several specialised vessels, each entrusted with a distinct mandate:

• Jack-up barge (JUB): Tasked with transporting and positioning the foundation anchors, it ensured structural stability during the initial phase and has now been demobilised.
• Platform supply vessel (PSV): responsible for transporting and installing the drilling template and anchor piles—indispensable for fastening the Yoke.
• HLV: having conveyed the equipment to the site, it now assumes its precise placement.

This stage likewise marshals assorted specialised assets and teams, notably:

• The diving spread for subsea interventions;
• The ROV is used for underwater inspections and adjustments.

With the HLV on station, installation of the foundation can commence.