Ever since the offshore industry has expanded to deeper waters, one topic of broad and current interest, that has dominated the industry, is the weight of topsides lifted offshore. Installation contractors advertise engineering feats accomplished by successfully lifting the large topsides using heavy lift vessels (HLVs) offshore.

As the offshore industry moves towards greater technological advancements, one thing that has plagued the engineers is the “plug and play” computer programs or software. I am not against any software as such, and in fact, I am a big fan and power user of Bentley’s MOSES program.