A semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV), the world’s largest crane vessel, installed a 90-meter-long jacket to extend the life of an oil field in the Norwegian Continent Shelf (NCS) for another 40 years.
Heerema Marine Contractors, a Dutch marine contractor, installed it on the seabed at the Fenris offshore field in the Valhall area, according to Offshore Energy.
The Valhall PWP-Fenris project was sanctioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy alongside other developments.
The project is redeveloping the Valhall oil field, which was first discovered in 1975. The field reservoir was located at a depth of 2,400m.
Extending the operational life of Valhall oil field
The vessel placing the jacket is striving to elongate the operational life of the Valhall oil field for another 40 years. This development is expected to tap into new reserves evaluated at 230 million barrels of oil equivalent, assuring continued production and economic benefits.
The jacket provides the structural support required to extend the oil field’s life, while the vessel enables the installation of the jacket by lifting and positioning it.
Offshore Energy reported that the project entered into the construction phase in September 2023 with the cutting of the first steel plate for Valhall PWP at Aker Solutions’ Stord yard.
The plan dictated that the field have 19 wells among which 15 would be placed at Valhall PWP and four at Fenris.
Harassing energy from Valhall’s shore system
Harnessing existing powers from Valhall’s shore system would additionally minimize emissions NS Energy reported. This is evaluated at less than 1kg CO2/boe. This system would replace the typical gas turbines with the power-from-shore system.
“Production from Fenris will boost Valhall’s gas processing capacity and will also significantly increase gas exports from Valhall through the existing Norpipe pipeline to Europe,” added a report by NS Energy.
The crane vessel will be employed to install large offshore structures in the North Sea as part of the Valhall PWP-Fenris development project including the crane.
When completed, the jacket will support a five-story topside module that is 55 meters tall, and 54 meters long and weighs approximately 4,800 tonnes.
The jacket itself is 90 meters tall and has been enclosed by 68-meter piles. It was also reported that once the grout had hardened, the 800 mT PDM was lifted and welded.
North Sea oil project progression
In January 2024, the first steel was carved for the utility module for the jacket at the Valhall field center in Worley Rosenberg’s facility in Stavanger, Norway.
“The Valhall PWP will be transported from Worley Rosenberg to Aker Solutions’ Stord yard for further hook-up to the production modules before sailing away in summer 2026,” reported Offshore Energy.
The 16,000-ton Valhall PWP production platform for the Valhall field will be constructed at Stord, while the 9,500-ton steel jacket, similar to the Fenris unmanned platform, will be transported from Verdal.
Aker Solutions is responsible for significant subsea and modification deliveries for the Valhall PWP-Fenris project.
Jacek Kacperski, ProSep’s Sales Manager for Europe stated that it’s great for ProSep, (a produced water solutions and technologies provider) to be involved with the development of the PWT system for the new Valhall platform.
“A full-circle moment, having successfully delivered on the first platform over ten years ago, this latest contract will allow us to implement our leading CTour process onto the new platform’s water treatment system.”
He added that the CTour process will ensure clean produced water that is ready for discharge, and that meets the latest regulatory requirements in Norway.
“A leading field in the Norwegian Continental Shelf, ProSep is delighted to be involved on the Valhall platform.”
