The Business of
FPSOs, Shuttle Tankers and Peter Lovie

Engineering Technology Analysts, Inc

For Engineering Technology Analysts, Inc. Founded, led an engineering design firm (1970-1975) that created a new generation of jackups, included the Robray 300 series of jackups that entered service in 1975-1977 and largest then built: the Dyvi Beta and Dyvi Gamma that were precursors to the harsh environment jackups of 20-30 years later. The design employed cast steel nodes, a novelty back then but which have since been often used in offshore structures.

ETA's four patents on jackup design all name Peter Lovie as inventor, e.g. leg design in US Patent 3,967,457. The jackup designs offered variables load capacities double what was typical at that time, reduced need or avoidance of removing leg sections for ocean tows, lower steel weights than competitive designs then used, hence reduced CAPEX.

  • imgDyvi Beta ETA Europe class design, legs 508 ft.long, classed DNV for North Sea service. Negotiated design contract in 1974, built at CFEM in France. Delivered 1976. Max. water depth 350 ft., leg length 508 ft. As at 1Q2017 working as MOPU (40 years old).
  • imgDyvi Gamma similar, also ETA Europe class design. Delivered 1977. Max. water depth 350 ft., leg length 508 ft. Lost in accident in North Sea in 1990(?).
  • imgETA Robray 300 series Design contract negotiated 1973, at least eight (8) were several built in Singapore and Japan for Robray Offshore Drilling and others for service in China, Brazil, India and North Korea entered service in 1976-1982. Maximum water depth 300 ft., leg length 425 ft. As at 1Q2017, of the eight built, 5 are still working, 2 are stacked, 1 converted in 1992 to be an accommodation unit that is currently available.

 

Shallow water jackups

During 1975-1976 ETA was commissioned by Pool Company to design a truss leg shallow water development drilling jackup (3 legs, Pool 142 class) as well as a shallow water 4 legged mat supported unit (Pool 50 class). A total of eight of these shallow water jackups were delivered during 1977-1982.

See article in ETA Innovation for more on the ETA Robray 300 design. For the full story on the ETA jackups, see "ETA and its Jackups: the Six Year Saga", 33 pages, 2017