Newly fabricated parts set sail to join pile piecing two platforms together for work at North Sea oil & gas projects (Gallery)

The UAE-headquartered marine and offshore services provider Drydocks World Dubai, a part of DP World, has completed its scope of work related to jacket pile clusters for two new platforms that are slowly taking shape as different parts get constructed in preparation for deployment at two oil and gas developments in the North Sea, off the coast of Norway.

Aker BP, a Norwegian oil and gas player, confirmed the start of construction activities on two large offshore development projects Yggdrasil and Valhall PWP-Fenris (formerly King Lear), in September 2023 with the cutting ceremony for the first steel plates for Hugin A and Valhall PWP platforms at Aker Solutions’ Stord yard, thanks to a deal valued at almost NOK 50 billion ($4.7 billion), which the company and its alliance partners signed in December 2023 with  Aker BP.

Drydocks World has recently completed the Hugin A and Valhall PWP jacket pile clusters for deployment at the two big oil and gas projects under development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

The UAE-based firm underlined: “The achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to quality and compliance, with the pile clusters meticulously crafted and expertly fabricated and shipped with agreed schedule. Collaborating closely with Aker Solutions, this project showcases Drydocks World’s advanced complex fabrication and engineering excellence capabilities.

“It reinforces our leadership in the maritime and offshore industries, demonstrating our team’s dedication to meeting the highest standards. A big thank you to our incredible team and partners for their commitment. We are excited to continue driving innovation and excellence in the offshore sector!”

Worley Rosenberg marked the first steel cut on January 2, 2024, for the utilities module of the new Valhall field center, production, and wellhead platform (PWP) in Stavanger, Norway. Several months later, the Fenris jacket and pre-drill module (PDM) embarked on its journey to the Valhall field from the yard in Verdal with three different tugboats maneuvering the giant barge out of the harbor.

Once the jacket arrived at the Fenris offshore field, it was installed on the seabed by Heerema Marine Contractors’ Sleipnir giant heavy lift vessel. Located in the Southern North Sea, the Valhall PWP-Fenris project covers a new centrally located production and wellhead platform linked to the Valhall field center by a bridge and an unstaffed installation at Fenris that will be tied back to the field through pipelines on the seabed.

Given the climate change concerns and growing decarbonization inroads, the development has electrified its main power source instead of relying on gas turbines, the Valhall PWP-Fenris development will use the existing power from the shore system with minimal emissions, estimated at less than 1 kg CO₂/boe.

The Valhall oil field has been in production since 1982 and the Valhall PWP-Fenris development project aims to extend the life of the field for another 40 years. Aker BP previously explained the 16,000-tonne Valhall PWP production platform would be assembled at Stord and the 9,500-tonne steel jacket would be delivered from Verdal. Pandion Energy is Aker BP’s partner in Valhall and PGNiG Upstream Norway is the firm’s partner in Fenris, which is 50 kilometers away.

Aker BP revealed in June 2024 that six offshore campaigns would be carried out to install almost 100 km of pipelines over the summer at its Fenris 14” production and 4.5” MEG pipelines development project in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The project will also secure a lifetime extension for Valhall past 2028.

After loading out a 2-kilometer-long cooling bundle for the Fenris field and towing the long pipeline slowly to sea, the partners in Aker BP’s Subsea Alliance, consisting of Aker Solutions and Subsea7, transported it from Scotland to the field’s location in the Valhall area and begun installing the bundle as the first of five planned to be put in place.

On the other hand, Yggdrasil, which is estimated at NOK 115 billion or over $10.3 billion and consists of the Hugin, Fulla, and Munin license groups, is located between Alvheim and Oseberg in the North Sea. Aker BP’s partners in the area are Equinor and PGNIG Upstream Norway.

The gross resources in the area are more than 700 million barrels of oil equivalent and extensive new infrastructure is planned, including three platforms, nine subsea templates, new pipelines for oil and gas export, and power from shore. The entire Yggdrasil area will be remotely operated from an integrated operations center and control room onshore in Stavanger. 

Hugin A, which is expected to be the largest topside ever assembled in the Stord yard area, is a part of the Yggdrasil development and consists of a 28-tonne production platform and a 20,500-tonne steel jacket that will be delivered from Aker Solutions’ yard in Verdal.

Aside from Stord and Verdal, Aker Solutions’ yards in Egersund and Sandnessjøen will build modules, while Leirvik will deliver the living quarters. Aker BP’s Yggdrasil field development also encompasses an unmanned platform, Hugin B, which will be delivered from Verdal and tied back to Hugin A

In addition, Aibel will deliver the topside for Munin while Aker Solutions’ scope entails considerable subsea and modification deliveries to the Yggdrasil fields. Multiconsult will provide all necessary onshore civil engineering for the power from shore system.

The start-up of construction for another one of Aker BP’s projects under development on the NCS, known as the Skarv Satellite project (SSP), was celebrated in August 2023.