MinDOC is technology currently owned by Durward International, which is a joint venture between Tex BASS and Keppel FELS Offshore. It is a patented deep-draft floating production system designed for support of dry-tree completions in deepwater environments. It is a very efficient structure measured in terms of the payload/hull weight ratio and has superior motion characteristics.

The MinDOC 3 incorporates three generations of optimization from its initial conception by Alden “Doc” Laborde and William Bennett and a consortium of industry-leading firms.  The first MinDOC 3 is being fabricated at Gulf Marine Fabricators, and is scheduled to be installed in the Mirage Field for ATP Oil and Gas in early third quarter 2008. View construction photos here.

The MinDOC 3, with its vertical columns arranged in a triangular shape and connected to pontoons, at first looks like a semisubmersible. However, the unit behaves like a spar in terms of stability and dynamic response to waves.

The MinDOC 3 hull can accommodate traditional rectangular topsides, but BASS has designed an efficient, modular, triangular topsides.  The MinDOC 3 hull being built for ATP will have a T-shaped topsides and will have top-tensioned risers.

The third generation MinDOC can be utilized in any application in deepwater that requires low motion characteristics. It has been studied as a platform for a small sub-sea well control station up to a major production hub facility, resulting in maximum design flexibility.