ShibataFenderTeam has successfully delivered 158 cylindrical buoys to the Syncrude Tailings Dam, located at the northern end of Mildred Lake in Alberta, Canada. The buoys have a diameter of 1,500 nm and different lengths between 750 and 1,750 mm.
Due to the low temperatures in Alberta during winter months, the lake usually freezes over which could cause problems for the operations on the lake. Therefore, de-icing bubblers were installed in the lake and these bubblers are supported by SFT buoys keeping the bubbler afloat at a certain water depth.
Measured by the volume of the construction material, Syncrude Tailings dam is the largest embankment/ artificial dam in the world. The lake is constructed and maintained as part of ongoing operations in extracting oil from the Athabasca oil sands.
SFT buoys were chosen for this project because they are unsinkable, have low maintenance and withstand the tough marine applications and environments
Reprinted from Marine Construction Magazine, Issue II, 2024
