Offshore
Global exploration of offshore oil resources poses ever-increasing challenges for designers of offshore platforms. Operations in cold regions, where threats posed by ice are often exacerbated by extreme seas, are particularly challenging. Remote locations pose even greater challenges since the evacuation of personnel in such extreme conditions is more rigorous. Deep water further magnifies the challenges by increasing the significance of the hydrodynamics of the mooring and sub-sea systems. The Offshore Engineering Basin, coupled with the deep water of the 200-meter Towing Tank, the ice engineering capability of the 90-meter Ice/Towing Tank, and the current capability of the 22-meter Flume Tank, allows Oceanic to research the challenges inherent in the offshore environment.