Page 43: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jul/Aug 2014)

42 44

EPIC

The M71 manifold near completion.

Photos from BP, by Mathieu Buckley.

Two SSIVs in a fabrication bay.

Quad 204 allowed us to demonstrate that adds.Fabrication started in May 2013, UETs, and a number of manifolds deliv- capability.” as decommissioning work on the old ered, with remainder, including some of

Babcock won the contract to fabricate Schiehallion FPSO and some of its the more complex modules, due to be 73 structures for the Quad 204 redevelop- existing subsea structure was underway delivered before 1Q 2015. Smaller struc- ment in December 2012. The total order offshore. The nature of the order meant tures will be transported by road to where is comprised of 73 structures, weighing that, after the ? rst ? ve structures started they will be loaded out for installation. 15-150-tonne each (or 2500-tonne in fabrication, Babcock was able to review Larger structures will be loaded out onto total), including 30 ? owline termination its fabrication process and initiate lean vessels at Rosyth, in the Firth of Forth. assemblies (FTA), 14 controls distribu- manufacturing processes, creating pro- In May, factory acceptance testing and tion assemblies (CDA), seven riser end duction lines, instead of each structure system integration testing was under way terminations (RET), ten umbilical end being built individually, Goodfellow said. in one of the yard’s 27 covered work- terminations (UET), three subsea isola- “We modi? ed some of the build strategy shops, ready for load out. The ? rst of the tion valves (SSIVs), and two dynamic based on lessons learned, particularly structures loaded out in the ? rst week of umbilical termination assemblies (DUTA), where we had more than one build, May. They will be installed offshore West with the remaining structures compris- resulting in an assembly line environ- of Shetland, between July and September, ing various size and complexity mani- ment,” he said. as part of a two-year installation cam- folds, Goodfellow said. For BP, it was This year will see the 30 FTAs, SSIVs, paign, handled by Technip, culminating an opportunity. “What we saw initially in hook-up and commissioning, with ? rst

The Quad 204 is a major subsea rede- was an opportunity for Babcock to create production scheduled for the end of 2016, velopment project, involving the rede- a site capable of large scale fabrication Meldrum said. velopment of the Schiehallion and Loyal of subsea structures with an ability to Further projects are already lining up.

Babcock’s site at Rosyth. Photo from Babcock. ? elds, to the west of Shetland on the UK perform system site integration testing in Work has already started on the Grant

Continental Shelf. one location and the bene? t of performing and Ellon development manifold and

The FPSO has been moored Schiehallion all this work undercover in a controlled Babcock is bidding for more work with a in 400m water depth, 281km (175mi) environment,” Sandy Meldrum, BP number of North Sea players, as well as west of Shetland, producing oil from the

Subsea Structures Project Manager, said. eyeing the potential for work destined for

Schiehallion and Loyal ? elds since 1998. “Civil upgrades performed on the site has Norwegian waters.

The reservoir sits 2000m below the sea- provided exactly the facilities that meet Subsea structures are just the start, bed, covering about 194sq km (75sq mi).

our needs for a large scale and complex Goodfellow added.

As a result of new exploration activity project such as Quad 204. Having all the “We are keen to look at some of the and technological developments, recover- structures built at one site meant they smaller topsides as well, to get us off able reserves are now known to be more didn’t need multiple teams going out to the seabed.” Likewise, FPSOs could be than double the original estimates. do integrity testing,” he added. brought in for topside conversion—a

The original development had “The structures consist of equipment medium-long term focus for Babcock. In expanded to 51 wells in ? ve subsea drill we have purchased from a lot of sup- fact Babcock was involved in the marine centers. The Quad 204 redevelopment is pliers—Verderg, Aker Solutions, Bel side of the recent Haewene Brim project adding an additional 25 wells, replacing

Valves, HPF Energy Services, Oliver in Nigg, near Inverness. the existing FPSO with a newbuild on the

Valves, Cameron,” John Ibbotson, BP “Babcock aspires to be a player same location, re-using existing subsea lead project engineer, System Integration involved in more detailed scope includ- infrastructure where practicable, and

Testing, said, all of which makes work- ing engineering, design and procure- replacing it where required and extend- ing closely crucial. A lot of free-issue ment,” Goodfellow said. “We integrate ing it as required to support additional kit was ordered, geared around try- very complex structures and have done wells. • ing to get ahead of the game, Meldrum so for many years.” oedigital.com July 2014 | OE 45 000_OE0714_EPIC2_Babcock.indd 45 6/20/14 6:31 PM