Azeri-Central-East (ACE) platform support block built at “Baku Deep Water Jackets Factory named after Heydar Aliyev” (BDWJF) was loaded on STB-1 barge owned by “Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping” CJSC (ASCO) and dispatched to the sea on March 16, 2023, according to ASCO's release.
The barge has been sent to the point of destination accompanied by special tug vessels. The support block, which has been loaded onto the barge by special sliding operation, weighs 16,000 tons and is 153 meters tall.
ASCO’s crane vessel “Azerbaijan” with a carrying capacity of 2500 tons, will also be involved in the installation of the support block as well as drilling and residential platform of 48 mines, which will be carried out at a depth of about 140 meters.
It should be noted that last year necessary modification works has been done on ASCO’s “STB-1” barge to be utilized in the “Azeri-Central-East” project. The certificate of the barge was upgraded to the required class.
STB-1 considered the largest barge in the Caspian Sea is 163 meters long and 45 meters wide with capacity of carrying 18,000 tons of weight at deck.