Subsea connector specialist First Subsea has finished the installation of bend stiffener connections for gas lift and production risers, power cables and umbilicals for the Goliat FPSO vessel in the Norwegian Barents Sea, the company said in a news release.

Operated by ENI Norge AS, the Goliat FPSO vesssel is the first offshore oil development in Norway's Arctic region, in the Barents Sea.

The vessel features 11 Type II bend stiffener connections (BSC), with 10 receptacle I-tubes pre-installed within the base of the vessel, enabling more tie-backs to be added as field production increases, First Subsea said. The Type II BSC was selected for the Goliat tiebacks because the receptacle has no moving parts, enabling a simpler riser, umbilical or cable connection.

The First Subsea Type II BSC comprises a ball and taper connector attached to a bend stiffener, which is pulled into a pre-machined I-tube. The connector is self-energizing and self-aligning, and it features First Subsea’s Automatic Release Clamp enabling both diverless and ROVless bend stiffener connections, according to the release.

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