WATCH: ‘Key’ piece of North Sea oil & gas platform ready for next stage

The UAE-headquartered marine and offshore services provider Drydocks World Dubai, a part of DP World, has slid the final section of a module into place for a new platform destined for deployment at an oil and gas development in the North Sea, off the coast of Norway.

While describing its progress in constructing the Hugin A wellbay module at Drydocks World, Aker BP highlighted that the last structural section was lifted into place at the yard in Dubai, marking the completion of the stacking process of the module.

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

The Norwegian player confirmed the start of construction activities on Yggdrasil and another project in September 2023, with the cutting ceremony for the first steel plates for Hugin A and one more platform at Aker Solutions’ Stord yard.

A deal valued at almost NOK 50 billion ($4.7 billion), enabled the beginning of construction, for which the company and its alliance partners signed a deal in December 2023 with Aker BP.

The latest milestone comes after Drydocks World wrapped up 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).

Moreover, Hugin A is the area center of the Aker BP-operated Yggdrasil area. The wellbay module is a key part of the 30,000-ton Hugin A topsides, which will be assembled and finalized at Aker Solutions’ Stord yard.

Commenting on the inroads made, Peter Kupka, Project director for Fixed Facilities in Yggdrasil, remarked: “I would like to say congratulations and thank you to the wellbay team for great achievements so far in this project.

“We have a solid site team in place in Dubai, and we are very pleased with the open collaboration between the site team and the yard. They work with a true One Team mindset, find solutions together, and prioritise safety, quality and progress.”

Aker BP's wellbay module for North Sea platform lifted into place at Drydocks World

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Aker BP has outlined that more than 300 people at the yard in Dubai are involved in delivering the wellbay module, with work now continuing with piping, electrical, insulation, and equipment installations.

Yggdrasil is estimated at NOK 115 billion or over $10.3 billion. The project entails the Hugin, Fulla, and Munin license groups between Alvheim and Oseberg in the North Sea. Aker BP’s partners in the area are Equinor and PGNIG Upstream Norway.

With the gross resources of over 700 million barrels of oil equivalent, extensive new infrastructure is planned, such as three platforms, nine subsea templates, new pipelines for oil and gas export, and power from shore, enabling the entire Yggdrasil area to be remotely operated from an integrated operations center and control room onshore in Stavanger. 

Besides Stord and Verdal, Aker Solutions’ yards in Egersund and Sandnessjøen will work on modules, while Leirvik will deliver 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

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