McDermott puts Strohm’s ‘ideal solution’ in place at deepwater project offshore Malaysia

Dutch thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) technology player Strohm has provided field service support during the subsea installation of its TCP jumpers, which the U.S.-headquartered McDermott carried out from the pallets at a deepwater Sabah project located off the coast of Malaysia.

Strohm, which oversaw the work, explained that McDermott installed its TCP jumper technology at the deepwater Sabah project on behalf of an undisclosed international operator. The Dutch company highlighted that the project team took maximum advantage of the flexibility of the jumper-on-demand concept during installation. The two, 150-meter-long TCP jumpers were delivered in 2021 and stored until the associated infrastructure at the field was installed.

Furthermore, the TCP jumpers were spooled onto subsea pallets for installation from the transport reel, with the ancillaries fitted by the Strohm field services team. Even though the jumpers were in storage for several years, Strohm is adamant that the wait did not result in residual bends as the pipe does not have a strong memory effect. As the spooling from a vertical drum to a horizontal pallet does not induce notable torsional effects, the company concludes this makes subsea installation “easy, fast, and first time right.”

Fabienne Ellington, Strohm’s Vice President for Africa, Middle East & Asia-Pacific, commented: “It is brilliant that we have been able to complete the installation phase of this project for an international operator, a success that reaffirms TCP as the ideal solution for deepwater projects and further strengthens our leading position in the market. We were able to extend the warranty for the two TCP Jumpers, as testament to the confidence we have in our technology, as well as the proven value that our products are delivering.”

According to Strohm, the installation McDermott completed is the second time its TCP product has been deployed in Malaysia after a TCP flowline and static riser were installed at the shallow water West Lutong field for Petronas in 2017. TCP for subsea jumpers, flowlines, and risers is described as having a proven track record in slashing the CO₂ footprint of pipeline infrastructures by more than 50%. 

McDermott got an offshore transportation, installation, and commissioning contract from PTTEP in March 2024 for the Kikeh subsea gas lift project offshore Sabah in East Malaysia. As a result, the U.S. player was in charge of removing the existing flexible gas lift riser and performing the installation and commissioning of a new dynamic riser section and flowline comprised of two TCP jumpers to enable gas delivery to a subsea production system tied back to the FPSO Kikeh.

Recently, McDermott decided to team up with TAS to upskill the local workforce, enhance institutional capabilities, and position Sabah as a hub for energy projects in Southeast Asia. On the other hand, Strohm secured a deal with TotalEnergies to deliver TCP flowlines for an offshore field in Brazil’s Santos Basin, following a TCP contract with ExxonMobil for an oil development in Guyana.

After a recent TCP hydrogen testing program, the firm outlined that TCP showed exceptionally low hydrogen permeation values, demonstrating technical suitability for high-pressure hydrogen service.