Heerema’s vessel on ‘engineering ingenuity’ quest makes inroads in North Sea campaign

Netherlands-based offshore contractor Heerema Marine Contractors and its heavy lift vessel are checking off their list the tasks required to complete an offshore assignment in the North Sea, which is being undertaken as part of the Dutch player’s deal with Equinor, Norway’s state-owned energy giant.

Heerema has revealed that its SSCV Sleipnir is progressing well into this year’s North Sea campaign, as it installed three modules on the Equinor-operated Oseberg A concrete platform with process equipment and living quarters last week. This assignment is described as a key part of the gas capacity upgrade and power from shore projects.

Equinor handed over a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Oseberg field in November 2021 and disclosed plans for investing NOK 10 billion (over $1.1 billion) in the development. Several months later, ABB was hired by Aibel to provide power from shore technology for the electrification of the field.

This is expected to help the Oseberg Area Unit partners to curtail CO2 emissions by 320,000 tonnes per annum, which is equivalent to 160,000 cars, while boosting the gas production from the field. Heerema’s vessel carried out module load-out near Stord on June 11 and wrapped up final lifts a few days later, on June 14.

Heerema underlines that this work was executed on time and with precision, using Sleipnir’s single-crane lifts and dedicated crew coordination.

Sebastiaan van Oosten, Project Manager, emphasized: “This is a great example of engineering ingenuity and operational excellence, from the office to the installation field. Clear communication, strong teamwork, and a positive vibe onboard is a recipe for success.”

Aside from the unmanned Oseberg H platform, the Oseberg field centre includes three – platforms Oseberg A, B, and D – connected by bridges in the southern part of the Oseberg field. Gas export, which began in October 2000, is sent to the market via Oseberg Gas Transport (OGT) to the Heimdal Gas Centre.

Afterward, it goes into the Statpipe system bound for the continent and through Vesterled to the United Kingdom. The oil from the Oseberg area is routed via the Oseberg Transport System (OTS) to the Sture terminal.