Heerema’s heavy lift vessel Sleipnir installed the 12,050-metric-tonne Johan Sverdrup processing platform (P2) jacket on 18 June. This has set a new record for the heaviest lift jacket installation. Before this, the Sleipnir had already completed what was the heaviest crane lift in Norwegian waters.
The record lift offshore came after the inshore integration of the three P2 topside modules on behalf of Aibel at the GMC yard in Gismarvik in May. This mating process accounts for the heaviest crane lift in Norwegian waters, with the main support frame (MSF) module weighing a massive 13,600 metric tonnes.
Johan Sverdrup has been the biggest field development on the Norwegian continental shelf since the 1980s. The Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 development is to capture the full potential of the huge Johan Sverdrup oil field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The new processing platform, which will be the second of its kind at the field centre, will make for a total of five platforms when the development is completed.
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Inshore mating operation
The inshore mating of the P2 topside included integrating three modules weighing 13,500 metric tonnes, 5400 metric tonnes, and 4300 metric tonnes. This successful operation was the result of close cooperation between Heerema, Aibel, and operator Equinor. The modules were built in Thailand, Spain, and Norway and are Aibel’s largest project ever. Now that the lifting operations are complete, the topside has been towed by Heerema’s Kolga to Aibel’s yard in Haugesund.
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Thereafter, on behalf of Equinor, Sleipnir lifted the 12,050-metric-tonne P2 jacket, which is the heaviest jacket in the world so far to be lifted directly from the transportation barge. This installation method made it possible to reduce the jacket weight considerably, compared to a more traditional launch jacket, resulting in significant fabrication cost savings.
See more pictures of both the inshore mating operation and the offshore installation of the jacket below (supplied by Heerema Marine Contractors).
‘We are proud to play a part in Equinor’s Johan Sverdrup P2 development, and to achieve two new lifting records in the process is always special. Both projects were successful due to the close cooperation with our clients, and we look forward to returning to the Johan Sverdrup field later this year,’ says Michel Hendriks, Heerema’s Transport and Installation Director.
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