PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Concrete Gravity Structures 

Since the installation of the Ekofisk Tank by Phillips Petroleum and Partners in 1973 there have been over thirty concrete fixed and floating structures installed in the world.  These structures are constructed ashore, in dry docks and fjords, requiring a period of two to four years to build and are then towed to site and installed in a nearly complete basis.  Concrete offshore structures are the largest structures ever moved by man and their cost can exceed 1.5 billion US dollars.  Water depths for the fixed structures have reached 300 meters and floating structures are limited only by the anchoring system utilized.  Engineers and constructors of multiple nationalities have contributed to this outstanding technology and because of the magnitude and diverse nature of these structures, in many instances they should be honored individually. 

     At this time the OEC wishes to honor the first concrete structure built for a hostile offshore environment for the development of hydrocarbons, the Ekofisk Storage Tank and Flow Station, and the companies responsible for it, Phillips Petroleum Company, and Doris Engineering; and the individuals who made it happen.

     Recognizing the following individuals and companies that contributed to the development of this technology: 

Claude M. Bender, Ben C. Gerwick, Jr., Henri Marion, Jean Martin, Leonard Meade, Dominique Michel, J.L. Parat, F. Sedillot, C.G. Doris Engineering and ConocoPhillips.