Saipem vessel lifts Dvalin module aboard Heidrun platform

Heavy lift vessel Saipem 7000 has lifted the 3,500 tonne Dvalin module aboard the Equinor-operated Heidrun platform located in the Norwegian Sea.

The Wintershall Dea-operated Dvalin field is a subsea gas development tied back to Heidrun, 15 kilometers to the northwest in the Norwegian Sea.

The module for the Dvalin development was built by Aibel yard in Haugesund and delivered in July. Some 700 yard workers have spent two and a half years building the dedicated gas treatment module. Following the delivery, the module headed to the field.

Wintershall Dea informed on Tuesday, August 6 that the three-hour lifting operation was done on August 3, ranking among the heaviest lifts onto an existing platform in the history of the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The lifting operation was carried out by the heavy lifting vessel Saipem 7000. The module was lifted from the barge onto the Heidrun platform over the course of three hours.

“The Dvalin team has worked purposefully to safely construct and install this giant module in time and within budget. It is very satisfying to see this impressive technical feat carried out successfully and without incidents,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Member of the Board for Wintershall Dea.

Witnessing the heavy lift from aboard the Saipem 7000, Anita Albriktsen, Topsides Host Manager, said: “For those of us who have followed the construction of the module, from the first steel cut, through the pulling of 100,000 meters of cable and welding of 3,700 joints, to seeing it now on Heidrun, it was a great experience to see the module being lifted in place.”

The gas from Dvalin will be transported to the Heidrun platform via a 15-kilometer pipeline. From there, it will be sent to the Polarled gas transportation system via a 7.5-kilometer pipeline, before it will be further processed to dry gas at the Nyhamna onshore gas terminal. Finally, the gas will be transported via Gassled to the market.

Wintershall Dea, as the operator, holds a 55% interest in the project, while its partners Petoro and Edison hold 35% and 10% interest, respectively.

Offshore Energy Today Staff

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