Heerema Zwijndrecht has reached a milestone in the construction of the Valhall Re-Development Integrated Production & Hotel Facility deck for BP Norge. As the maximum fabrication height was reached, the 11,000-tons weighing topsides left the fabrication hall for further completion outside.
In March 2007, Heerema Zwijndrecht was awarded the fabrication and integration contract of the offshore deck together with the 350-tons flare boom structure of which fabrication started in November 2007. At 23 June 2009 the order for the fabrication of the 2,000-tons Weather Deck module was added. Although the indoor facility in Zwijndrecht is one of the largest in Europe, the unit still had to be moved outside to complete the topsides.
13,000-tons Project
The BP Valhall main deck will measure 100 meter in length, 47 meter in width and 50 meter in height. All structures; main deck, weather deck module, flare boom as well as bridges 1 and 2, are expected to leave Zwijndrecht in May/June 2010 for their final destination offshore Norway. Once completed, the topsides will weigh over 13,000-tons, excluding Power-from-shore module and Living Quarters.
2,000,000 Man Hours
According to Tino Vinkesteijn, managing director of Heerema Zwijndrecht and Heerema Vlissingen, 1200 people have worked on the project simultaneously. The contract has provided substantial employment for more than 2,000,000 man hours at the yard, with additional supply-chain jobs being created for other companies.
