Khazzan Dubai No. 1: Pile Design and Installation

Khazzan Dubai No. 1, the first offshore oil storage tank of its kind, relies on a skirt pile anchorage system for its support. The 500,000 barrel tank, submerged in 154 ft of water, is now in service for Dubai Petroleum Company, 60 miles offshore from the Trucial State of Dubai. The foundation must support the massive weight of the structure, overcome the buoyancy of the stored oil, and resist severe environmental forces created by design waves over 39 ft high. Design of the piling was based on soil properties determiend from an exploratory site investigation, including detailed soil borings. The 36-in. diameter steel piles were placed in oversized holes drilled into the sea floor, and grouted to the soil formation and to the structure. A pullout test of a full-scale pile was performed on site to substantiate the design basis.