Seismic Impact Engineering

Ship-shaped offshore installations that are operated in shallow water (e.g., at depths of 10 m deep or less) are used for various purposes, such as oil terminals, floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), power plants and bunkering. These usually remain afloat in operation, with a gap between the seabed and the bottom of the hull. In other situations, such as those for ship-shaped offshore power plant facilities containing nuclear reactors, hull bottoms are touched down onto the seabed by using heavy ballasting materials, such as concrete or sand. However, offshore installations are not fixed to the seabed and move under the effects of environmental actions, but may be moored.