UK player plays part in expansion project aimed at ramping up gas production off Israel

UK-based centrifugal pumps and associated equipment manufacturer, Amarinth, has delivered two pumps to Norway’s process engineering business, Kanfa. These pumps will be used for a second oil train on an FPSO working on the Energean-operated field, offshore Israel.

Amarinth reported on Tuesday that it had supplied Kanfa with two API 610 pumps with a Plan 53B Seal Support system for the new oil train on the FPSO operating in the Karish field, off Israel. These pumps – for ATEX Zone 2 operation – have been designed to the newest API 610 12 Edition and manufactured in stainless steel to Norsok specification, as outlined by the UK firm.

Furthermore, a bespoke single footprint skid design was required due to space restrictions aboard the FPSO, thus, both pumps and the two Plan 53B Seal Support systems are all mounted together. The company highlighted that the pumps were delivered on “a very aggressive 30-week lead time” to fit with the build schedule of the new M10 topside module.

Kanfa has been tasked with providing a fully assembled M10 topside module, which will be transported to the Karish field for integration onto the FPSO. Prior to being air-freighted to Dubai, UAE, where the new topside module is being constructed, the pumps were witness tested by DNV at Amarinth’s test facility in the UK.

Oliver Brigginshaw, Managing Director of Amarinth, commented: “We are delighted to deliver this order to Kanfa, the first we have received from them. This is further testament to our proven agility in providing bespoke pumping solutions on very tight lead times to meet the challenges facing the world’s oil and gas industry.”

Moreover, the addition of the second 700-tonne oil train for a new oil/condensate separation module for the FPSO operating in the Karish field in the eastern Mediterranean off Israel will increase the production capacity of this brownfield site by 75 per cent.

Energean started production from the Karish field in October 2022, after the Energean Power FPSO crossed the Suez Canal, as the first vessel of its type to do that, and reached the waters offshore Israel in early June 2022. 

This FPSO and the sales gas pipeline have an ultimate capacity of 8 bcm/yr, however, the initial capacity is up to 6.5 bcm/yr, and commercial gas sales were expected to reach this level approximately four to six months following the first gas.

In light of this, Energean outlined in October that its growth projects – the Karish North development, the second oil train and the second export riser – remained on track for completion in late 2023. Afterwards, the firm is expected to be able to take advantage of the full 8 bcm/yr capacity of its infrastructure.

Regarding Amarinth’s recent deals, it is worth noting that the UK player got an order from VWS Westgarth for two titanium pumps in November 2022.

These are expected to be used aboard SBM Offshore’s FPSO One Guyana, destined to work for ExxonMobil off Guyana.