Application of riser fairings to the D/V "CHIKYU" during drilling in high current area

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has a plan to carry out riser drilling operation in the Kuroshio high current area applying a scientific drilling vessel "CHIKYU". The riser drilling operation in such high current area will be affected by vortex induced vibration (VTV) and inclination of the riser due to high current. In order to cope with these problems caused by high current, JAMSTEC has started to consider applying riser fairings during the CHIKYU\´s operation in the Kuroshio area. Several tank tests to confirm and evaluate performances on some kinds of fairings have been conducted. In this paper, the detail of the riser fairing for the CHIKYU and results of tank tests will be described.