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“We managed the work across at least three time zones and with a maximum time dif- ference of 17 hours. Fifteen specialists of SAL planned the construction and installation of the platform, designed a special mooring arrangement for the vessel, drafted the temporary living quarters onboard the MV Svenja and accompanied the project steps in detail – from scheduling over cost-controlling to vessel stability calculations, rigging design and lifting procedures.”

Holger Krenz, SAL Project Manager our lift supervisors. And I would like the barge onto the Monopod. Limited At the end of August, after 90 days on to highlight that the team was the main access within the installation and the site, the installation was completed and aspect that made the whole project suc- short time frame made the insertion of MV Svenja headed back to Singapore cessful,” said Sebastian Westphal, Mas- the Topside into the guides even more for two weeks of demobilization. ter of MV Svenja. challenging. “We installed the Topside “SAL was our primary heavy lift

Once the Monopod was landed and within two hours from lift off from the contractor for the highly technical and the cranes freed, eight piles were driven barge until set-down on the Monopod,” environmentally challenging job,” siad through guides on the Monopod secur- said Bauer. The crew completed the Michael Johnson, Statement Project ing into the seabed. Subsequently the platform installation by installing the Manager, Crowley. “SAL’s technical eight piles were to be ? lled with con- 40 tons Helideck. Although they car- calculations and engineering construc- crete. Moreover, the piles were compiled ried out this part by a rather simple lift, tions, their vessel and the team’s op- in parts, as the required total length of it still demanded proper planning due to erational experience on land as well as 90m could not be lifted with the cranes. the lifting height and the placement of onboard led to a very successful instal-

Therefore a special setup was created the unit’s balance point. lation.” where the ? rst part of a pile was driven into the seabed and the second part was welded on top of the ? rst part and so forth.

In early August the engineers installed the 671 tons Topside onto the Monopod with a 700 tons single hook lift. “The

Topside installation was an extremely tight lift with very small tolerances,” said Rüdiger Bauer, Captain.

During the high tide there was only an installation window of about four hours for lift piling sequence including weld- ing operations. Careful planning, exact execution and a lot of teamwork was necessary.

For the installation, a very large barge carrying Topside and Helideck lay alongside MV Svenja with only 2.5 meters clearance to the Monopod.

Due to the crane out- reach it had to be moored that close – with the additional challenge not to touch any of the many mooring lines, that kept MV Svenja in position. The Topside was lifted from www.marinetechnologynews.com

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