Maintenance finalised at largest oil & gas platform of Sakhalin-2 project

Russia’s Sakhalin Energy has successfully completed the planned shutdown at the Piltun-Astokhskoye-B (PA-B) platform, the largest oil and gas production platform of the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia.

Sakhalin Energy announced the planned shutdown of the PA-B offshore platform earlier this month.

According to Andrey Klimov, the PA-B Offshore Installation Manager, the scope of planned shutdown included annual cleaning of internal multiphase flow separation vessels, repair of produced water filters, maintenance of two gas compressors with inspection of gearbox at one of them, as well as a number of other equally important tasks.

“I would also like to note the corrective repair operations at seawater supply return line. They were held for the first time at the PA-B. Pipeline section 7.5 m long, and with a diameter of 450 mm had to be smoothly and accurately brought into the support module and then, with filigree precision, in the tight setting of equipment and cables, installed in place. Complex and elaborate lifting operation was performed brilliantly, without the slightest mistakes”, said Andrey Klimov.

“Despite the diversity of the tasks and their complexity, our team once again demonstrated the ability to find continuous improvement opportunities, performing work very consistently and with high quality − in the best traditions of the company”.

Approximately 220 people have been involved in activities as part of the planned PA-B shutdown. Additional measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection have been introduced at the platform. The gained experience would be drawn upon for the largest integrated gas system shutdown in the history of the Sakhalin-2 project to be carried out in summer 2021.

The PA-B platform is installed approximately 12 km offshore the north-eastern coast of Sakhalin Island, in a water depth of 32 m. Since late 2008, the platform has been producing oil and associated gas from the Piltun area of the Piltun-Astokh oil field.

The produced hydrocarbons are transported via the trans-Sakhalin pipeline system to the LNG plant and oil export terminal of Prigorodnoye production complex.

In recent news, Sakhalin Energy shipped a 2,000th LNG cargo from its facility in the port of Prigorodnoye onboard the Energy Advance LNG carrier. All cargoes were produced from the Sakhalin-2 project.