Gallery: ‘Hanne Knutsen’ docked in Poland. Ready for conversion


Hanne Knutsen, a shuttle tanker that will be converted to a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel for operations on the Martin Linge field in the North Sea, docked on the yard quayside in Poland last week.

Total E&P Norge is leasing Hanne Knutsen from KNOT FSO 1 AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS, for operations on the Martin Linge field.

Total’s Construction Site Representative at Remontowa in Gdansk, Svein Berg, said: “It is great to see the vessel at the yard. We have prepared for this since the beginning of the year, and the team at the yard is ready to start the conversion.”

The weight of the vessel is just less than 30,000 tonnes. When the conversion to an FSO is completed, it will weigh almost 37,000 tonnes.

According to Total, the conversion of the vessel will be completed during 2016.

When the conversion is finished, the living quarters will have room for 40 people, divided by three decks.

Conversion

At the peak of operations, in January 2016, approximately 1000 people will be working on the conversion of Hanne Knutsen, Total says.

The French oil and gas company says that not only will the main deck drastically change, but the main conversion scope also includes a rebuilding of the tanks to make room for the wash tank process − where oil and water is separated.

Furthermore, changes will be made to the hull to fit a submerged turret loading buoy system. There are 30 main equipment packages to be installed. New safety systems are in the scope. The living quarters will undergo significant change and refurbishment – covering everything from new piping and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) to architectural and furniture, Total has explained.

“Pre-fabrication commenced in April this year. It will continue until next summer. All the major structural construction drawings are approved,” says Berg.

Engineering work

Almost 80 per cent of the engineering is completed, Total says. The French oil and gas major adds that the engineering for the conversion is carried out at Icepronav Engineering Srl in Galati, Romania, and 130 people are involved.

Engineering Lead for the Martin Linge FSO Anissa Liateni says: “We are confident that the engineering is robust. The design of the FSO meets the requirements of the Martin Linge field, the FSO is safe to operate, and its integrity will cover the lease duration.”

Sail-away in 4Q

Total says that last equipment for the FSO is set to be delivered in July 2016. In the fourth quarter the same year, Hanne Knutsen should be ready for sail-away.

FSO Manager Nicolas Genton concluded: “It is of course highly motivating for the entire team to see Hanne Knutsen at the yard and ready for conversion. A dedicated team on both Knutsen and Total sides has worked hard to reach this stage, and it will be great to see it all come together in the next 12 months. We are now moving from paper to steel work.“

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