Gallery: Heerema crane vessel Sleipnir installs Hod B topsides

Only a day after Aker BP announced it installed the Hod B platform topsides offshore Norway, Dutch offshore contractor Heerema Marine Contractors shared photos of the process.

Heerema transported and installed the Hod B platform on behalf of client Aker BP in two phases using its semi-submersible crane vessel Sleipnir.

The first phase was the installation of the jacket while the second phase was the installation of the topsides.

Both structures were transported on Heerema’s H-541 barge over two trips from Aker Solutions’ yard in Verdal. During the project’s first phase, Sleipnir installed the 3,400-metric ton jacket and after that, the vessel returned to the field and installed the 2,100-metric ton topside.

The Hod B platform is a normally unmanned installation wellhead platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. It is part of the Valhall complex developments and will be remotely controlled from the Valhall field centre, with low CO2 emissions due to power from shore.

In addition to the Hod B installation, Heerema performed a crane exchange on a platform within the Valhall complex.

CEO of Heerema Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven said: “The Hod B project is particularly special as the work was won and engineered while everyone was working from home due to the Covid-19 regulations. The team had to find creative ways to ensure this successful installation could be achieved, and we are proud of getting the work done despite these challenges”.

Heerema added that Sleipnir had a wide range of sustainability measures, including dual-fuel functionality allowing the vessel to run on LNG, a cleaner fuel than standard MGO. During the Hod B installation, the vessel ran on LNG, reducing carbon emissions and our impact on the planet.

The company stated that, following the completion of the Hod B installation, the vessel would move on to another transport and installation job.