 In the early 1980's Strainstall supplied huge 700 tonne shear beam load cells that were fitted in pairs under offshore platform anchor winches belonging to John T Hepburn Ltd, based in Mississauga, near Toronto, Canada (now part of Amclyde Norsen Engineering). After over 20 years of service these load cells are due for refurbishment and Strainstall have received an order for their replacement.
One significant Hepburn winch installation was for Gulf Oil in Calgary, Canada. Gulf Oil were working in the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska and had developed a special floating oil platform with a conical hull shape. Named "Kulluk", it is the only floating artic drilling unit in the world, and was designed to break the ice sheet approaching from any direction. As the winter ice increases, the winch load monitoring system measures the increasing load on the moorings. The winch load is monitored by 12 Strainstall anchor sheave pins, each with dual circuits on X and Y axes, mounted deep under the platform to keep them safe from passing ice.
The platform has been designed to resist ice up to 4 feet thick, which enables Kulluk to remain on station and working time is maximised. When the load reaches critical levels they have to release the anchor and drift off with the ice. In the spring the platform is returned to its station and work is resumed.
Kulluk was an original and experimental design, and its performance has been examined for use in the design of further special platforms. The mooring loads, measured by the Strainstall equipment, have played an important part in a number of major research studies into the very special research project.
Kulluk has now been renamed Kullu and is being fitted for a new phase of working for Shell, who purchased the vessel from Gulf Oil in 2005. | 
