FEATURES OF VARIOUS OFFSHORE STRUCTURES 



by 



Joseph Peraino, Burr L. Chase, 

 Tomasz Plodowski, and Lydon Amy 



I. INTRODUCTION 



The growing shortage of suitable waterfront sites for industrial complexes, transportation 

 facilities, marine terminals, recreational use, and of the increasing concern to preserve what 

 remains of our natural coastal environment, and the continuing need to obtain the 

 advantages of such locations are forcing people to turn to artificial means to satisfy this 

 need. Compounding these difficulties, the economics of larger capacity, deeper-draft vessels 

 have brought about the outmoding of our present harbors and possible coastal sites for these 

 newer ships. 



Until the advent of these large deep-draft carriers, our natural harbors along the coasts of 

 tlie continental United States, well protected from the open sea, and weU developed for the 

 trade involved, have answered our needs satisfactorily. Furthermore, the availability of such 

 harbors plus the general exposure to long fetches of ocean along both coasts have until now 

 discouraged any efforts toward moving offshore in order to reach berthing space with the 

 necessary depth requirements. However, now, under the changed conditions of ocean 

 sliipping, the feasibility of such a move must be reconsidered. 



Through the classification and identification of certain existing offshore structures, this 

 interim study is an attempt to provide a means of comparison for the various structures and 

 types of structures from the technical, environmental, and economical aspects. 



For the purposes of this study, an offshore structure is any permanent, fixed structure in 

 an ocean or estuarine location, essentially unconnected to shore. A physical tie which does 

 not influence the effect of the structure on its environment will not be considered a shore 

 cormection. 



