Saipem to set up spool-base in Gulf of Mexico

Italian offshore contractor Saipem will establish a spool-base on Greenwood Island, Pascagoula, Mississippi in support of its Saipem Constellation vessel. 

A spool-base is a facility which allows long lengths of pipe to be welded together before reeling them onto a pipelay vessel. The Saipem spool-base will be designed to provide support for vessels performing pipelay activities for offshore oil and gas development projects, the company said on Monday.

With a particular focus on the Gulf of Mexico, the new spool-base will support the Saipem Constellation vessel, the latest addition to the Saipem fleet, suitable for the installation of rigid and flexible pipes in ultra deep waters as well as for heavy lifts of up to 3,000 tons. Saipem bought the vessel last year from Emas Chiyoda Subsea after it went bankrupt.

Under a long term agreement, the Saipem spool-base is in a dedicated area within the facilities of ST Engineering Halter Marine & Offshore, Inc.

The spool-base will be equipped with welding machines, non-destructive testing (NDT) facilities, and field joint coating systems (FJC). It will also be structured to deal with complex projects such as pipe-in-pipe and HDPE liners.

“Leveraging the unique ability of the Saipem Constellation to lift fully loaded reels on-board, the stalking (joining of pipes into long strings) and spooling (the winding of stalks onto reels) process at the new spool-base can be decoupled from vessel loading operations, thus optimizing vessel and installation schedules,” the company said.

“The spool-base supports Saipem’s growth in the deep water field development sector as well as consolidating the importance of our activities in the Gulf of Mexico area, with a locally-based approach and resident assets,” said Giorgio Martelli, President and CEO of Saipem America Inc.

“We are pleased to be working with Saipem America on this exciting development within our facility in Pascagoula. Saipem’s spool-base operations complement our regular activities of drill rig upgrades and ship repairs. This collaboration will leverage the capabilities of both parties to provide high standards of support to our customers operating in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Lim Nian Hua, President and CEO of ST Engineering Halter Marine & Offshore.

Spotted a typo? Have something more to add to the story? Maybe a nice photo? Contact our editorial team via email.

Also, if you’re interested in showcasing your company, product or technology on Offshore Energy Today, please contact us via our advertising form where you can also see our media kit.