The ASP Group of companies are pleased to

introduce

The Flexiport Terminal Construction System.

Port construction time reduced by up to 60%

Cost of terminal construction reduced by up to 60%
Reduced environmental impact
Extension, reduction or relocation of terminal at short

(Image Bulk Cargo Port)

 The Flexiport Concept

Flexiport is designed to turn any coastal or river anchorage into a working deepwater port by
mooring standard ocean-going offshore oil rig support pontoons or custom designed and built
pontoons in sufficient depth of water to enable ships to lie alongside and connecting the
quayside formed by the pontoons to the road system ashore by a prefabricated bridge or
causeway. A standard offshore oil rig support pontoon provides a quayside working area of
90 x 27 metres, and sufficient pontoons are linked together by a proprietary design to provide
the cargo working area and length of alongside berthing as defined at the planning stage.
Much larger pontoons can be incorporated, if required, increasing the working areas, berth
length and storage capacity. The quayside pontoons can provide any facility to be found in a
normal conventional port, such as craneage, storage, harbour control offices, secure areas, etc.
The installation can also be made fully self-sufficient for electricity and water, and
incorporate accommodation, workshops and helipads, and other services as required.
The pontoons are prefabricated and otherwise prepared for their role in any suitable shipyard,
moved to site, normally by ocean-going tugs, and installed there using techniques proven and
practised in the extreme conditions of the United Kingdom's offshore oil industry. The
related principles of pre-fabrication, movement of massive structures and installation on site
making no demand on local facilities are common practice in the offshore oil industry and
combine to ensure that a Flexiport is operational far more quickly and at far less cost than a
conventional port construction providing an equivalent capability.
Flexiport has a further advantage over conventional ports, in that no major vertical loads
(such as those generated by massive concrete structures) are transmitted into the seabed,
making Flexiport ideal in areas where seabed sub-soil conditions are poor. The Flexiport
structure can also be designed to be permanent or mobile allowing for reduction or extension
of the terminal's working capacity or even relocation of the whole terminal at short notice.
In all Flexiport designs, a detailed study is made of the weather, topographical and climatic
features of the site, and the Flexiport structure can be constructed so as to be capable of
withstanding the worst possible case 50-year weather conditions.

(Image River Port)

 The History of Flexiport

The 'Flexiport' concept is basically an idea of using floating pontoons as quay frontage for
port operations with various types of connections to shore. The system, in its suitable
application, gives the advantage of reducing port construction time by up to 60% and cost
reductions of a similar magnitude. The system also offers the benefit of minimising
disruption to the environment and can offer considerable advantages over conventional ports
by minimising or even eradicating the costly and environmentally damaging practice of
dredging.
The basic 'Flexiport' concept was developed in the 1970's by Mr Kjell Eriksen, a Naval
Architect, mainly for use as a temporary facility to relieve congested ports. The first patent
was granted to Mr Eriksen in January 1977, and a number of proposals were made to various
authorities around the world on a consultancy basis.
In the early 1980's a Licence Agreement was reached between the inventor and ITM
(Offshore) Ltd., a leader in the fabrication of offshore facilities, to market the Flexiport
system throughout the world. In 1983, in competition with 30 other international companies,
that company was awarded a contract to install floating port facilities in the Falkland Islands
utilising the Flexiport System, for the Ministry of Defence. (A more detailed description of
this project and its successful completion can be found in Falklands Story).
However, mainly due to the decline in the oil industry during 1985/86, the ITM group of
companies became financially unstable. Therefore the Licensor/Inventor, Mr Kjell Eriksen,
participated in the formation of a new company, Flexiport (UK) Ltd., to act as the operational
company and to continue the worldwide sales drive for the Flexiport System.
In 2003 Flexiport entered a joint marketing and technical support agreement with the ASP
Group with a view to extending the company's international exposure and its product
development programme worldwide. Flexiport can now offer a full turn key solution to
clients including site survey, project development, technical and logistical planning,
operational support in the short, medium and long term and financial support in the form of
short, medium and long term lease and hire purchase agreements.

(Image Offshore Supply Base)

 The Falklands Story
When Great Britain recovered the Falkland Islands in June 1982, it was necessary to create a
complete supporting infrastructure for a 4000 strong troop garrison in an environment where
no supporting infrastructure existed. The most serious problems facing that Garrison were the
complete absence of suitable accommodation, the lack of a working port to handle the mass
of equipment and logistic stocks needed to establish a tri-service operational capability and
the non-existence of storage, both for day-to-day requirements and for longer term and
contingency needs. As no assets were available locally, everything had to be provided from
Great Britain, over eight thousand miles away.
The solution to these three related problems was found in the techniques, capabilities and
equipment developed in the stringent conditions of Britain's offshore oil industry. Under
these circumstances construction on-site was impossible. Therefore, it was necessary for
British industry to develop the ability to fabricate rigs, platforms and supporting facilities in a
benign environment, move the massive loads to the operational area offshore and install them
in minimum time. The same approach was required in the Falklands Garrison. Three
'coasters' - i.e. very large oil rig support barge bases incorporating prefabricated
accommodation and living units for over 800 men each, were acquired, moved to the
Falklands and placed in Port Stanley where they have, to date, provided walk-on/walk-off
accommodation and support for more than 15,000 soldiers and airmen serving in the
Falklands.
The port and storage requirement demanded the same sort of solution. What was needed were
the basic capabilities of any working port:

The ability to load and unload cargo ships alongside a wharf or quay rather than by
lighters or other harbour craft.

The ability to break bulk cargoes including ammunition and unit equipment into
smaller destination-orientated loads.

The ability to store commodities of all kinds until needed.

The provision of an onward distribution system for vehicles, coastal shipping and
helicopters to move stores to the point of consumption.

Although these are the normal capabilities of a conventional port, the requirements of the
Falklands community were immediate and could not wait for a conventional solution.
(Image Bulk Cargo Port)
Because of the difficult and unusual circumstances, a conventional build could not have
resolved this desperate and immediate ship-to-shore problem in the Falklands. The existing
wooden jetty at Port Stanley was far too small to work cargo, too weak to support either a
crane or a large load-carrying vehicle and insufficient depth of water to allow any but the
shallowest draft ships to come alongside. The inevitable consequence was a continuous
backlog of ships, damage and loss of urgently needed stores because of multiple handling,
excessive demands on the British Army's limited resources of specialised manpower and
equipment for port operation, increased cost because of the delay in unloading shipping and a
need to conduct the whole operation on a continuing basis of crisis management.
The port handling problem was compounded by the fact that the absence of storage shore
caused the rations and other supporting stocks required by the Garrison on a day-to-day basis
to be held in ships lying offshore. This further increased both the cost of the operation and
the demands on harbour craft and personnel.
As the jetty and storage associated with the new airfield at Mount Pleasant was expected to be
available only in three to four years time, an intermediate system was required to be
operational as soon as possible, and to effectively pay for itself within three years of
operation. The defined requirement was for an installation costing less than twenty-five
million pounds to be operational within five months of contract award. The required
characteristics were nine hundred feet of alongside berthing at a minimum depth of twenty
feet, one and three quarter million cubic feet of storage space incorporating power for up to
thirty standard refrigerated containers, a minimum of twenty thousand square feet of quayside
working area, the ability to operate load carrying helicopters without a dedicated helipad, the
ability to accept roll-on/roll-off shipping and the provision of offices both for the overall port
control of Port Stanley harbour and the installation itself.
Accommodation was also required for key personnel and a dining facility was needed for the
labour force of two hundred to be employed in the completed installation. Responding to a
United Kingdom Ministry of Defence requirement for an intermediate port and storage
system, ITM (Offshore) Ltd., a leader in the fabrication of offshore facilities, provided the
innovative answer, known as FLEXIPORT, which was subject to a licence agreement with
Mr Kjell Eriksen, the inventor.
Thirty-one companies responded to the U.K. Ministry of Defence invitation to submit
proposals, and a short list of six companies were invited to enter best and final negotiations,
having been afforded the opportunity of a three day visit to the site at the worst period of the
1983 Falklands winter. Evaluation of these best and final proposals resulted in the contract
being awarded to ITM (Offshore) Ltd., on the 2nd October 1983.
The Flexiport design had originally been developed in response to a requirement from the
Government of Nigeria, but the project there did not progress to its natural conclusion
because of instability in that country. However, research continued into the feasibility of
using these barges in a variety of innovative applications.
ITM proposed to meet the Falklands requirement by utilising the licensed Flexiport system.
This entailed using six standard offshore ocean-going oil rig support barges, each of 10,000
tons dead-weight tonnage, ballastable to any depth between 5 and 15 feet and with an
unencumbered open deck area 300 x 90 feet; about the same size as a full size football pitch.
Prefabricated steel clad warehousing would be erected on four of the barges providing over
1.75 million cubic feet of storage space.
The barges would be linked together and moored by dolphins, the specific design for the
extreme Falklands climatic conditions having been proven in the deep test tank of Newcastle
University. A smaller seventh barge would provide both the roll-on/roll-off pontoon and the
head of the 600 foot causeway link to the road system ashore. The 2-way causeway would be
fabricated in five sections, water ballasted to the prepared sea-bed and able to accept vehicle
loads of up to 30 tons. Office accommodation and support facilities would be contained in
prefabricated units erected as a second storey on one of the warehouse barges, and the whole
installation would be self-sufficient for power and water, with considerable redundant
capacity for both these essential requirements.
All the preparation, construction and prefabrication work was undertaken in a British shipyard
between October 1983 and February 1984 and moved to the Falklands in a phased
programme of three separate heavy equipment lift ship loads. The arrival of each load was
timed to coincide with on-site preparation carried out by a workforce flown from the U.K. and
supported by a giant crane barge which embarked at Las Palmas on the first heavy lift
shipload. Apart from a crane barge, the first load contained six mooring dolphins and the two
quayside barges, which arrived at Port Stanley on 27 December 1983 after a 23 day passage
from Belfast Lough.
These were installed by mid-January and brought a working quayside into operation at once.
The second heavy lift shipload containing the causeway sections, the roll-on/roll-off pontoon
and one of the storage barges, arrived in early March to match the completion of the
preparation of the sea-bed to accept the causeway. The final three barges, which arrived two
weeks later on the last heavy lift shipload, were installed within two days of arrival, and the
whole complex became operational well within the five months time limit laid down by the
Ministry of Defence.

The first ship to be handled alongside, the MV Leicesterbrook, offloaded a cargo of 500 tons
of general stores and 60 standard ISO containers and was turned around in 30 hours. On a
previous voyage with a similar cargo worked by harbour craft, the same operation had
required 21 days. Flexiport produced not only a dramatic reduction in turn around time, but
also, combined with the planned replacement of the storage ships by the four barges, provided
a drive-in warehouse and supermarket.
The Flexiport paid for itself within 3 years, which is earlier than originally anticipated, and
remains in operation today.
The Flexiport concept, now proven in the extreme conditions of the Falklands, has attracted a
great deal of interest worldwide in numerous applications - both military and civil. Its military
use has been discussed in detail with representatives of the United States Department of
Defence, including representatives of the Military Traffic Management Command.
Had Flexiport been available during the Falkland war, it would have been brought into
operation at San Carlos as soon as the beachhead had been secured. There, under air defence
protection, its availability would have greatly reduced the risk to logistic shipping which
without Flexiport had to be held in or near Falkland sound to await unloading. Flexiport
would also have shortened considerably the time required for the logistic build-up to support
the break-out from the beachhead.
 Flexiport for Containers

A design option for the Flexiport concept is ideally suited for handling containers and bulk
cargoes. This Flexiport matches the developments of the worldwide container transport
network and the need for a port system that can handle multiple types of cargo.

(Plan and elevation for proposed container port)

Can serve all types of container vessels

RO/RO ramp/linkspan provided
Normal container craneage and other cargo handling
equipment available
Decks strengthened for heavy fork lift truck operations
Intermediate container storage available on the port facility
Cost effective solution to meet all circumstances

The requirement for space and specialist handling equipment can be met either on the
standard 3,000 square metre barge base or by a larger unit designed with container handling
in view. These larger barge bases give a deck area of 200 metres by 50 metres - more than
three times the flat deck working area of a standard barge base. A port complex consisting of
only 4 of these larger barge bases can handle 8 container vessels simultaneously, 150 TEU
containers an hour and 10 million tonnes of cargo in a year. The safety aspect of docking
very large ships has been considered, and impacts up to speeds of half a knot can be
withstood from the largest vessels.
The Flexiport container variant includes all the attributes of a normal container port,
specialised craneage, roll-on/roll-off handling equipment and conveyor belts.
Notwithstanding the size of the larger barges, the Flexiport container variant can be installed
and moored as quickly and securely as a normal Flexiport. The design has been tank tested
and proven to work in a six knot current, 8 knot tide and wind speeds of up to 100 knots.
 Bulk Cargo Port

The basic application of Flexiport is its ability to load, discharge and store all types of cargo.
The Port and its link to the shore can be installed and made operational in a matter of days
after arriving on site.
Flexiport converts virtually any stretch of coastline into a port able to work ocean-going ships
alongside, incorporating all required types of cargo-handling equipment and whatever
capacity and nature of storage is needed. The link to the shore and the mooring technique are
matched to the specific requirements of the customer and the environmental constraints of the
site.

(Plan & elevation of proposed Bulk Cargo Port)

Capable of accommodating bulk carriers up to 150,000 tonne

DWT
Water depth up to 20m
Intermediate storage available
All types of loading/unloading systems can be provided
Various conveyor systems
Cost effective solution to meet all circumstances

Whether as a permanent or temporary installation, Flexiport has an immediate cost advantage

over a conventional build, because of the intensive fabrication carried out before
transportation and installation at the operating site. The Bulk Cargo Flexiport can adapt itself
to meet specific requirements. The quayside is positioned in the necessary depth of water and
is built giving the length and cargo handling area applicable to the expected nature, frequency
and volume of cargo to be handled.
All types of bulk cargo handling equipment, i.e. for ore, coal, grain, etc., are suitable for use
within this Flexiport system. Tank tests have been carried out proving the barge base
suitability for both cargo handling and storage of bulk cargo of all types, including liquid
commodities.

(Image Bulk Cargo Port)

Flexiport reduces the risk of incurring demurrage. Because of the transportability of the
system, it can be moved to any area that may have a need to change their cargo handling
requirements due to seasonal and market conditions.

As with any major construction project preplanning is of vital importance and we have the
expertise in both design and construction to assist port operators in the type, capacity and
structure of both port and storage space.
Flexiport can incorporate all the ancillary equipment of a conventional port. Standard and
specialised cargo handling equipment, offices, communications and radar for port control,
secure and bonded storage areas and administrative arrangements for the labour force can all
be included in the original design, or added after the initial installation, as the need arises.
 The River System

(Plan and elevation for proposed River Port)

Provides unparalleled possibilities for development of inland

regions
Shipping of all descriptions can utilise facilities
Craneage available
Strengthened decks for fork lift operations
Cost effective solution to meet all circumstances

In countries with few roads, difficult terrain or extreme climate the rivers are often the best
means of movement for both goods and people. Flexiport can provide a fully integrated transit
and storage system serving the whole country, and is the natural focal point in a national
waterway communication network.
Flexiport in a riverside location is likely to be even simpler and quicker to install than the
maritime version because there will be less tidal current and more shelter.
In a fully integrated national Flexiport System, bulk imports are discharged and broken down
at the maritime port of entry for consignment to riverside Flexiports, each of which is the
distribution centre for its region, by smaller barges formed into rafts.
Each regional Flexiport is served by one or more mobile barge bases, which are towed from
the port entry to their riverside Flexiport, where the loads are either stored or broken down
further for onward movement to final destinations, either on river craft or overland.
Similarly, each riverside Flexiport is the collecting point for the region's exports. It is also the
ideal goods and passenger ferry terminal, either across or up-river, the regional storehouse
and supermarket and if need be a heliport, hospital and administrative centre. The off-shore
warehouses simplify arrangements for security and control of stores. Goods can be handled in
any form - liquid, bulk or containerised, and craneage and specialised handling equipment for
each Flexiport regional distribution centre can be pre-planned during the design stage.
Riverside Flexiports are, like their maritime counterparts, designed to meet their expected
loading and are readily expandable, moveable to another location, or installed for
permanence.
 The Arctic System

Flexiport is a particularly appropriate port and storage system for installation where
permanent construction is especially difficult, for example in an Arctic environment.
A permanent installation capable of withstanding both extreme cold and the rise in
temperature above freezing point during the summer months undermining foundations is both
expensive and hard to achieve.
With Flexiport this problem does not arise because the barges can be moved away from the
site before ice sets in and returned when the climate allows. The barge bases can be pre-
stocked for an arctic summer's operation, reducing the need for replenishment and so
producing a saving in shipping and operating costs and manpower. Because the barges can be
made self-sufficient for power, there can be both refrigeration for long-term storage and
heating for store houses, repair workshops and administrative areas.
As with all other Flexiport variants, moorings and links to the shore are designed to match the
particular requirements of each site.

(Plan & elevation for proposed Arctic System)

Multi role system

Adaptable for climate demands
Removable for climate variations
rapidly built, quickly installed
Cost effective solution to meet all circumstances
 The Offshore Supply Base

The Flexiport concept originated from the use of barge bases to support the offshore oil
industry. With the development of Flexiport as an instant port and storage system, further
uses have become apparent for the barge bases in their original role.
A single barge base can be installed at the mainland location giving the shortest sea transit
distance to the offshore oilfield for servicing support vessels. Because transit times are
reduced, the ships can remain longer on station for the same amount of time spent on essential
replenishment and maintenance. Flexiport produces a more cost effective system than the use
of an existing port at a greater distance.

(Plan & elevation for proposed Supply Base)

Totally mobile port system
Installations and redeployment can be executed rapidly
Supplies of all types can be installed
Barge tanks can be utilised for handling all types of drilling
fluids etc
Cost effective solution to meet all circumstances

The barge base is a natural helipad. A single barge base linked to the shore provides the basic
minimum facility. With the addition of a pontoon at the seaward end of the shore link the
installation can accept larger articulated vehicles and allow the operation of roll-on/roll-off
shipping. The barge base allows the operation of mobile craneage and larger cranes can be
installed on one or more of the mooring dolphins.
Like all other Flexiport variants, the offshore supply base can be made permanent, temporary
or transportable to their locations. An initial system of a single barge base can be expanded by
the addition of more barges to meet an increased workload.
 Offshore Oil Rig Repair Base

Flexiport has designed a variation of the Flexiport concept to meet the Specialised Inspection
Repair and Maintenance (IRM) requirements of offshore drilling rig operators.
With more and more legislation and also increased requirements from insurance and
classification societies there is a worldwide need for facilities to undertake periodic IRM on
semi-submersible oil rigs. This increased demand can be met by the use of this specialised
Flexiport.
The unique feature of this Flexiport design is that part of the port system will have a
submersible capability to allow the rigs to be lifted out of the water. This technique
incorporates the proven technology of heavy lift ships and is simpler, quicker, and less
expensive than conventional dry docking.
This simple Flexiport design allows the addition of more barges to increase and enhance
facilities at a later date.
The oil rig support variation of Flexiport can meet all the fabrication and storage requirements
for oil rig support.
The submersible part of the port can either be moored permanently or be made capable of
manoeuvring to lift drilling rigs away from the base installation - a unique combination of
offshore embarkation and alongside working.

(Plan & elevation of proposed Rig Repair Base)

Capable of accommodating all types of twin hull semi-submersible
rigs
Lifting capacity 40,000 tonnes
Additional wet mooring facilities
Craneage of all types can be provided
Workshop facilities available
Cost effective solution to meet all circumstances
 Causeways, Bridges & Moorings
Flexiport's mooring system and its link to the road network ashore are designed to match the
geology and weather conditions of the site, the maximum anticipated loading of road traffic,
the alongside depth of water required for the quay and the expected timescale of operation.
The essential questions to be answered before detailed design work starts are where; how
soon, and for how long the Flexiport is intended to operate, and what size ships and vehicles it
is required to handle.
The choice of technique for shore linked and mooring lies with the customer and our design
staff have worldwide experience in defining the most cost-effective solution in relation to
operating conditions and specifications.

Causeways can be piled completely, ballasted, given slight buoyancy to compensate for a soft
seabed, or made to float, held in position by piles or anchors all proven off-shore construction
engineering techniques. Bridges are prefabricated and moved to the site either complete or in
sections ready for emplacement. These simple and robust constructions can be single or
multispan, are very quickly positioned and have been proven in the most testing
environments. More elaborate bridges can be built for permanent installations.
The Falklands Flexiport was moored by dolphins. Since this contract, we have designed a
jack-up system for the causeway which can be positioned within a matter of hours. For short
term installations, anchors or single-point moorings are used. Flexiport is not only flexible in
size and use, its shore link and mooring systems are specifically designed to meet each
individual requirement.
 Contacts

ASP Ship Management Group

C/o 145 Cannon Street
London EC4N 5BQ
United Kingdom

Jeremy Liddell
C.E.O. Corporate Services Division
Mobile +44 7808 859408
jliddell@flexiport.com

Jef Lin
Business Development Manager
Tel:+44 207 2837700
jlin@flexiport.com

Kjell Eriksen
Business Development Manager
Tel:+46 705 490336
Keriksen@flexiport.com
 Representative Offices

United Kingdom Singapore

ASP Ship Management Group ASP Ship Management

145 cannon Street 10 Anson Road
London EC4N 5BQ #29-08 International Plaza
UK Singapore 079903

China Scandinavia
Flexiport Systems Int'l Ltd ASP Ship Management Scandinavia
Flat 104, Oriental Centre Skillnadsgatan 21
67-71 Chatham Road South Fin- 22100
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon Mariehamn
Hong Kong Finland

Taiwan Australia

Sees Mega Co Ltd ASP Ship Management Group

275 Liu Fu Road "Majella" 473 St Kilda Road
Lu Chu Hsiang Melbourne
Tao Yuan Hsien, Taiwan VIC 3004 Australia

Vietnam United States of America

Sees Mega Co Ltd ASP Ship Management

H12 Cum14, Cong Vi 168 Fifth Avenue,3rd Floor South
Ba Dinh New York,N.Y.
Hanoi Vietnam 10010 USA

Thailand India

Sees Mega Co Ltd

No.71/90 Moo/Soi
ASP India
13 Leatwattanadai
58 Nariman Point
Daokanong-Jomthong Road
Mumbai 400 021
Sub-District Jomthong
India
Bangkok 10150
Thailand