Piecing North Sea platform’s topsides together on Aker BP’s agenda for autumn

The first steel structures for the topside that will be used to bring Aker BP’s new gas production platform bound for installation on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) to life have started their journey from Aibel’s Thailand shipyard.

The platform in question – the Munin unmanned production platform – will be situated in the northern part of the Yggdrasil area in the North Sea. According to Aibel, sections 210 and 310 were lifted onboard a transport vessel last week, and are making their way to its Haugesund yard in Norway. The topsides will weigh over 8,000 tonnes, measuring 62 by 42 meters and being 35 meters tall. 

Håkon Helgå, Munin Project Manager at Aker BP, noted: “This is a great achievement for the Munin team and is a result of a great One Team effort between Aibel and Aker BP. The sections are shipped according to plan, and this is important for our overall Yggdrasil schedule.”

The first steel for Munin was cut last November at Aibel’s Thailand shipyard, followed by a steel-cutting ceremony at the Haugesund yard in March. The former is set to deliver the utility module, stair tower, flare boom, and deck sections for the processing module, while the latter is in charge of construction, assembly, and outfitting. The project completion is scheduled for 2027.

“Thank you to the Munin team. The first sections are delivered with a good quality and HSE. This autumn we will start assembly of the Munin topsides in the North Sea Hall in Haugesund, and delivering these sections as planned is important for the progress going forward,” said Erling Landsværk, Project Director at Aibel.

The Munin production platform will be designed for crewless operation without a helicopter deck or living quarters. Last August, MAN was selected to provide two compressor units and a comprehensive digital solution needed for the platform’s remote operation.

The Yggdrasil project is described as the next major field development on the Norwegian shelf with gross resources of more than 700 million barrels of oil equivalent. It will 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.