Gallery: ALE mates Malikai topside with hull

ALE, a global heavylift specialist, has mated the topside for Shell’s Malikai tension leg platform with its hull in Malaysia. 

According to ALE’s press release, the company has jacked-up the Malikai Topside 40m high, before skidding the Topside a distance of 90m whilst at this elevation – making these the world’s highest jack-up and skidding operations performed on this scale.

These operations were carried out whilst executing the Malikai EPC TLP Project at Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) West in Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia.

The global heavylift specialist was awarded the contracts for the Malikai Project on behalf of TMJV.

ALE was given the scope of weighing and transporting four unit Hull blocks, Living Quarters and mega beams for the ‘Superlift’ activities. In addition, ALE was also awarded with the weighing of the Topside, skidding of the Topside, jacking-up of the Topside, skidding at height of the Topside over the Hull and mating of Topside and Hull.

ALE started to mobilise the equipment at the beginning of April and started setting up the equipment needed for the Superlift (including its further-developed computer-controlled skidding system, ALE mast system, Mega Jack system, weighing cells, strand jacks) in May. The Superlift was then executed in July.

The Topside weighed in at 13,800t and was skidded 85m onto ALE’s Mega Jack system. The Mega Jack jacked-up the Topside to a height of 40m – the world’s highest ever jack-up on this scale, ALE said. When jacked-up the Topside weighed a combined total of 17,300t. The Topside was then skidded a distance of 90m at elevation, until it was above the Hull. ALE then mated the Topside with the Hull.

ALE was also contracted to remove all equipment using ALE’s 900t strand jacks (preinstalled onto the main deck of the Topside), skidding equipment and SPMTs.

ALE’s Project Manager Edwin Blösser, from ALE’s Netherlands branch who coordinated the Superlift activities, commented: “It is fantastic to be part of a world first. At ALE we are always willing to push the boundaries in order to offer a bespoke solution for the client. In order to achieve such an operation, our engineers and crew have worked hard to carry out the necessary studies and safety checks.

“This Superlift would not have been possible without a great crew and the Mega Jack System. With its capacity to easily lift the Topside to the desired height, the Mega Jack enabled the client to work on both the Topside and the Hull on ground level, therefore optimising the logistics needed for such a build. As both the Mega Jack and skidding systems are operated remotely via a control room and are equipped with computerised controls, which have numerous safety systems implemented, these provided a safe way of working and protected both workers and the client’s equipment being lifted. Because the equipment is easy to mobilise and handle, ALE was able to install within the deadline set by the client and despite the challenges ALE faced on-site, the Superlift was completed without any delay to the project.”

The final stage of the project will involve the load-out of the Tension Leg Platform (TLP), which is expected to take place later in 2015.