Temis MSU DP3 flotel; Source: Nortrans Offshore

Saipem picks 2015-built flotel for work on giant ‘most prominent’ gas project

Project & Tenders

Singapore-based offshore and shipping company Nortrans has found a job for a 2015-built maintenance and support unit, part of its managed fleet. Thanks to this assignment, the flotel will support Italy’s Saipem on its assignment at a huge deepwater natural gas project in the Black Sea, which is portrayed not only as Romania’s first deepwater project but also as the largest natural gas project off the coast of Romania.

Temis MSU DP3 flotel; Source: Nortrans Offshore

In March 2023, Saipem won two offshore contracts with a total value of around €1.8 billion. One of these deals relates to the Neptun Deep gas development project in the Black Sea. The project is being developed by OMV Petrom and Romgaz, with each company having a 50% participating interest in the project that entails investments of up to €4 billion.

With this contract in hand, the Italian player was entrusted with the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCIC) of a gas processing platform at around 100-meter water depth, three subsea developments, respectively at around 1,000-meter water depth in the Domino field and at around 100-meter water depth in the Pelican field, a 30” gas pipeline around 160 kilometers long, and associated fiber optic cable from the shallow water platform to the Romanian coast.

According to Saipem, the gas processing platform will be fabricated at its yards in Italy and Indonesia, and the Saipem 7000 and JSD 6000 vessels will perform the offshore operations. The technological tests and analyses for the materials used in the project were to be carried out in Romania, through the local entity of the Italian firm in Ploiesti.

Nortrans has now revealed a new contract award, enabling its managed Temis MSU DP3 flotel to assist Saipem during the Italian player’s work at this gas project in the Romanian Black Sea. The Singaporean firm believes that the 500-pax flotel will play “a crucial role” in supporting the Neptun Deep project through the hook-up and commissioning phase, as well as providing subsequent assistance to the start-up of the safe work procedure (SWP).

While the flotel’s contract is for an initial 160 days, it also comes with an additional option of up to 170 days to ensure support for work described as the project’s critical phases. For Nortrans, the assignment represents “a significant opportunity to contribute to one of the region’s most prominent energy projects.”
 
“This partnership with Saipem underlines our commitment to operational excellence and to supporting major offshore initiatives in the Black Sea region. We look forward to a successful collaboration and a safe, productive campaign,” added the Singapore player.

OMV Petrom, a South-Eastern Europe’s integrated energy company, which operates the Neptune Deep project, welcomed the arrival of Transocean’s rig to Romania in November 2024. The semi-submersible will begin drilling activities in the Black Sea in 2025.

While revealing the start of the construction works for the steel jacket, the operator said that the execution was part of the contract signed with Saipem. While the work is carried out in the Saipem yard in Arbatax, Sardinia, the construction of the platform topsides began at the Saipem yard in Karimun, Indonesia, in the first part of 2024. 

Christina Verchere, CEO of OMV Petrom: “Together with our partners from Romgaz, we are very excited about the progress of the project, because this will contribute to the security of energy supply for all of us. Neptun Deep is a unique project for Romania, that mobilises investments of up to 4 billion euro, thus also contributing to the country’s economic welfare.”

The jacket is the first part of the Neptun Alpha platform to be installed in the Black Sea. With a weight of over 7,000 tons, the structure will have a height of about 140 meters and a base of approximately 40 square meters. The Neptun Alpha platform will be installed in water depths of around 100 meters and is part of the infrastructure required to produce Domino and Pelican South offshore natural gas fields.

The productive infrastructure also includes ten wells, three subsea production systems and associated flow lines, the main gas pipeline to shore (about 160 km), and Tuzla natural gas metering station. With natural gas production estimated at approximately 100 billion cubic meters, this is equivalent to about 30 times the current annual demand of around 4.3 million households.

Cristian Hubati, Member of OMV Petrom Executive Board, responsible for the Exploration and Production activities, underlined: “The construction of the Neptun Alpha production platform is progressing according to schedule, on two Saipem sites, located in Indonesia and Italy.

“We expect to install it in 2026, followed by hook up, commissioning and integration of the subsea production systems and pipelines. With these activities we are on track for first gas in 2027.”