Page 32: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jul/Aug 2013)

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North Sea fabrication

EPIC - North Sea flling order books year later and Chevron’s 292m-long the planning stage. If all platforms

A high level of fabrication

Rosebank FPSO after that, both west with a status of possible, planned, or activity in and around the North of Shetland. tendering come to fruition between

Sea is attracting new players.

In addition, and in construction this year and the end of 2017, then

Elaine Maslin reports.

more locally, there is a growing that is an additional 53 fxed plat-

Platform fabrication for new instal- amount of brownfeld work, includ- forms. In fact, in 2015 alone, there lations in North Sea will reach fever ing new compression or accommoda- are 13 platforms in the planning pitch this year as a historically high tion modules or satellite platforms stage and a further seven possible number of facilities are completed to extend life or increase capacity on platforms. Of course, some of these for load out. felds. projects will fall by the wayside, or

Yards around Europe, including IHS Petrodata, based in Aberdeen, fall victim to development delays but

Norway, the UK, Italy, The Nether- says: “While the North West Europe overall, the project pipeline remains lands, Spain, and Sardinia, are all region is undoubtedly dominated by fairly strong.” busy completing jackets and topsides subsea tieback projects, feeding so- According to engineering consul- for North Sea projects. called hungry hosts, the last couple tancy AMEC’s projections the UKCS

The work is also spilling out of years have seen a higher level of market alone will see 32 new fxed worldwide; South Korea, home to activity for platform-based projects.” structures (with average 6-7000

Samsung Heavy Industries, Hyun- Data from IHS Petrodata’s Fields- tonne topsides) built in the next dai Heavy Industries, and Daewoo Base shows that 10 platforms are fve to seven years by 16 operators,

Shipbuilding and Marine, are all also currently under construction and exceeding historic capex spending. due to be installed However, it says “considerable mar- in the NW Europe ket constraints” are visible, for major

The Gudrun topsides region this year. equipment, fabrication capacity, and nearing load out at

ConocoPhillips’ lift vessel/accommodation.

Aibel’s yard, Norway.

Jasmine quarters, The buoyancy in the fabrication has already been market follows a period of some in- installed, and stability, particularly in the UK, after

Apache’s Forties a slump in activity in the 1990s. Last

Alpha Satellite year, the McNulty Offshore yard was platform is nearing sold after it went into administration. completion. Norway’s Kvearner has built a

Looking ahead to strong order book since it was spun 2014, 11 platforms out into a standalone company from are currently under Aker Solutions. But, the company construction and says it needs to focus on addressing due for instal- cost challenges, optimizing capacity, busy with work for the UK sector, as lation in that year, with a further and increasing competitiveness. well as Dubai’s Lamprell and SMOE fve platforms due to be loaded out Further afeld, Dubai ship, rig and in Singapore. and installed in 2015. These fgures platform builder Lamprell has been

Floating production features high- compare well with historical trends, regaining control of its business after ly in the new projects coming out of as only fve new platforms were a string of proft warnings through-

South Korea in the next few years. installed in 2010, seven in 2011 and out 2012.

ENI’s foating production unit Goliat, seven installed last year, says IHS. There have also been projects can- based on a Sevan Marine Sevan 1000 Catherine MacFarlane, IHS Pet- celled. BG Group recently dropped design, is due to be installed next rodata’s feld development analyst, its plans for a bridge-linked platform year in the Barents Sea, followed by says: “These fgures, do not, of on its UK North Sea Lomond instal-

BP’s 270m-long Schiehallion FPSO a course include future projects still in lation, after it went out to tender

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