North Sea-bound 2,900-ton module for offshore platform all set to sail away toward gas project

October 31, 2024, by Melisa Čavčić

Norwegian oil and gas player Aker BP has confirmed the completion of a utility module’s construction phase a year after the first steel was cut for a platform, which is destined to be deployed at its gas development project in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. The unmanned gas production platform is said to be the first installation of this type on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

Nearly a year after Aker BP and its partners, Equinor and PGNiG Upstream Norway, made a final investment decision (FID) to develop the Yggdrasil area in December 2022 and submitted plans for development and operation (PDOs) to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the first steel was cut for the Munin platform by Aker BP and Aibel in Thailand on November 2, 2023.

According to Aker BP, the 2,900-ton Munin utility module, which is now ready for sail-away at Aibel Thailand, is just weeks away from heading toward Haugesund. The achievement was celebrated in a traditional Thai ceremony at Yard 2 in Laem Chabang.

Håkon Helgå, Munin Project Manager at Aker BP, commented: “I am extremely proud of the Munin team and their deliveries. We started construction a year ago in Thailand, after many years of planning and engineering. Shortly, the utility module will sail from Laem Chabang, as a key building block in the overall Haugesund assembly programme. This is a very important milestone for us – delivered as planned.”

Situated in the northern part of the Yggdrasil area, Munin is an unmanned production platform, which is perceived to be the first of its kind on the Norwegian shelf. While Aibel’s Thailand office is delivering the utility module, stair tower, flare boom and deck sections for the Munin process module, assembly and outfitting will take place at the firm’s yard in Haugesund, and the assembly of the topsides started as planned in September in the North Sea Hall.

Erling Landsværk, Munin Project Director at Aibel, stated: “This is the first greenfield project Aibel is delivering together with Aker BP. We have been collaboration closely for two years and have managed to establish an integrated one team working to deliver a unique topside for the Norwegian shelf.”

The Munin production platform was envisioned to be designed from the start for crewless operation with neither a helicopter deck nor living quarters. While the platform’s topside, with a weight of more than 8,000 tons and a size of 62 by 42 meters and 35 meters tall, will be provided by Aibel, MAN is in charge of delivering two compressor units as well as a comprehensive digital solution designed to fulfill the requirements for remote operation.

The Yggdrasil project, described as the next major field development on the Norwegian shelf with gross resources of more than 700 million barrels of oil equivalent, is expected to be remotely operated from an integrated operations center and control room onshore in Stavanger. Aker BP started the construction phase in September 2023, and the first five of the nine subsea templates were installed in July.

Based on the previously disclosed timeline, the project should be completed in 2027 and the finished Munin platform will be one of three new platforms in the Yggrasil area, located between Alvheim and Oseberg in the North Sea. This project is operated by Aker BP, with Equinor and PgNiG Upstream Norway as license partners.

Ceremony for Munin utility module; Source: Aker BP

Recently, Aker BP started production from the Tyrving project five months ahead of schedule and completed below the original budget. Based on the Norwegian player’s recent update, all three wells are now in production.

Ine Dolve, SVP Alvheim at Aker BP, stated: “The successful execution of the Tyrving project is another outstanding example of what can be achieved through the alliance model, working together with our partners as One Team towards a common goal with shared incentives.”

The Tyrving development consists of three wells and two new subsea manifolds, tied back to the existing infrastructure at East Kameleon and further to the FPSO Alvheim. The recoverable resources in Tyrving are estimated at 25 million barrels of oil equivalent and the project is anticipated to be operated with low emissions, estimated at an incremental of just 0.3 kg of CO2 per barrel.