Mooring lines and the associated anchors attach floating offshore oil and gas facilities to the seabed. They could be exposed to strong dynamic forces due to surface conditions and loop currents. To perform under normal and hurricane conditions, certain safety factors require specific attention during the design and construction phases. Ultra-deep water exploration and production has led to new challenges for operators, and new technology, such as the use of polyester ropes, to meet these challenges. Mooring failures during hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, and Rita caused a number of mobile drilling units to go adrift. Anchors where drug by drifting platforms, in some cases causing damage to pipelines.

BOEMRE has focused the recent research activities on safety concepts, the possible wear and tear of synthetic ropes, the damage survivability, rope fatigue due to repetitive movements, environmental impacts and the stress joint concepts (anchoring and upper attachments). Please note that some of the projects are Joint Industrial Projects and the results contain proprietary information that cannot be published before a set expiration date.