PRESS RELEASE FROM ROXTEC, March 27, 2013
Fast oil rig retrofit with Roxtec’s BG™ sealing system
Vigor Marine was awarded a project that included retrofitting two of Shell’s oil rigs designed to
withstand harsh Arctic weather. These rigs are the centerpieces of Shell’s 21 ship exploratory
drilling fleet. The electrical upgrades on the project included installation of a new shore power
system for the main engine, power for three new cranes, plus a new replacement cable buss
between the emergency generator and the ship’s main switchboard.
Vigor Marine was given a very limited timeline to design and install the retrofitted system.
Consequently, one product that they selected was Roxtec’s BG™ (Bonding & Grounding) sealing
system. Past experience with other Roxtec products had proven that they could dramatically
reduce the installation time of electrical components to the required 10 weeks compared to
typical installation times of up to 6 months.
The Roxtec BG™ (Bonding & Grounding) product family is a cable entry system for sealing large
quantities of metal clad or armored cables in the least amount of space. It is used on oil rigs,
onshore building structures, cabinets and enclosures to ensure electrical safety and to protect
life and equipment. The electrical applications for this oil rig retrofit project include decks,
bulkheads and cabinets---all of which need to meet UL514B and UL467 specifications for
bonding and grounding as well as established fire requirements.
Saving time and costs
By selecting Roxtec BG™ for this project Vigor Marine was able to meet the requirements for
both UL codes with just one solution compared to older methods requiring two sealing
methodologies. Plus, the Roxtec BG™ sealing system eliminated the need to modify cables that
terminated with the cabinets, thereby saving major labor cost. The largest benefit, however,
was that the Roxtec BG ™ system enabled Vigor Marine to meet its budgetary and very tight
turnaround requirement.
Additionally, a Roxtec S frame was used for all applications such as deck and bulkhead
penetrations and cabinets. The S frame is a metal frame without a flange, intended for welding
(but Roxtec also has non-welding transit solutions). It is available in primed, mild steel, stainless
steel and aluminum as a single opening frame and in combinations with several openings in
width and/or height.
Ron Meyers, Electrical Foreman of Vigor Marine, said: “By being able to use standard Roxtec
product lines, we were able to significantly reduce cost. Our competitors, in order to meet
specifications, were using more costly products that had to be custom made. Not only were we
less expensive but we were able to complete the job much more quickly. We were impressed
that when we needed additional Roxtec products, we were able to find them through local
suppliers who all had them in stock.”
Roxtec RTM Software
At the beginning of the planning stage for the oil rig retrofit project, Vigor Marine invited
Roxtec to discuss sealing product applications, time frame and installation details. During this
dialogue Vigor Marine also realized the additional advantages of using the Roxtec RTM
Software for the oil rig retrofit, a benefit that was helpful with the final decision making
process.
Roxtec’s Transit Manager Software (RTM) 3.0 allows electrical engineers to reduce design time
and cost through auto-planning. An engineer can easily enter cables manually or import project
data from external cable schedules to generate automatic packing plans, and then simply print
material lists for purchases. Electrical cable and pipe designers can also calculate the weight of
transits, tag cables, and make changes to transits at any time. Drawings and plans can be
exported as .dxf files, and the created geometries can be imported into CAD programs.
Completing the project
Vigor Marine approved both the Roxtec BG™ system and Roxtec RTM software. Material was
ordered and installation training was completed within two weeks.
Ron Meyers elaborates: “Roxtec sent professionals to teach the Vigor Marine team how to
install the BG product line and the proper tools. This extra training effort helped our installers
save on overall time spent and is one of the reasons we were able to meet the demanding
deadline of this project.”
The installation with Roxtec’s products went so well that when Vigor Marine was asked to make
similar upgrades for another oil rig, they again specified Roxtec RTM and BG™ solutions.
Ron Meyers concludes: “I have been using Roxtec sealing solutions for more than 10 years on a
wide variety of projects. Roxtec products help make installations efficiently, go faster and are
easier to upgrade, thereby reducing overall costs. It was also great to discover just how easy it is
to find Roxtec products through convenient, local distribution.”
For more information, please contact Fredrik Timonen, Global Segment Manager Oil & Gas
Offshore, Roxtec, by email [email protected], or phone +46 733 31 31 03.
About Roxtec and Multidiameter™
Swedish Roxtec Group is the world-leading provider of flexible modular-based cable and pipe
seals. The company’s invention for adaptability to cables and pipes of different sizes is called
Multidiameter™. The solution is based on sealing modules with removable rubber layers, which
allows for a perfect sealing, regardless of the outside dimension of the cable or pipe. The
technology simplifies design and engineering, speeds up the installation process and reduces the
need for stock, material and logistics. It also provides built-in spare capacity for easy retrofit and
future upgrades. Roxtec serves and supports customers in more than 70 markets through 22
subsidiaries and a network of distributors. For more information, please visit www.roxtec.com.