WATCH: One bridge section for Aker BP’s North Sea platform done, four more left

August 13, 2024, by Dragana Nikše

Norwegian construction company Nymo has completed the first of five bridge sections it is building for a North Sea project being developed by its compatriot oil and gas player Aker BP.

Said to be the largest construction project ever at Nymo’s Eydehavn shipyard, the construction entails building a bridge for the new Valhall PWP platform that will be 101 meters long and weigh almost 1,200 tons. Pipelines and other infrastructure running over the bridge are set to be longer than 4.4 kilometers.

According to Aker BP, the job will take 400,000 working hours with around 200 people on-site. In addition to the bridge under construction in Arendal, Nymo’s workshop in Grimstad is also busy constructing a 1,000-tonne module for the North Sea platform. The firm won both contracts last August.

Some of the world’s largest pieces of equipment and vessels have been used to progress the project development so far. At the start of July, Heerema Marine Contractors’ huge heavy lift vessel was used to install a new jacket, which embarked on its journey in early June, while in mid-July, Allseas’ giant offshore construction vessel removed the former platform’s jacket.

Greenlighted in June 2023, the Valhall PWP-Fenris development entered its construction stage in September 2023. Located in the southern part of the North Sea, the development includes a new production and wellhead platform linked to the Valhall field center by a bridge and an unstaffed installation at the Fenris field that will be tied back to Valhall via pipelines on the seabed. The production is anticipated to start in Q3 2027

Aker BP has chosen Pandion Energy as its partner on the Valhall field and PGNiG Upstream Norway on Fenris, situated 50 kilometers away. The Valhall PWP-Fenris development will use the existing power from the shore system and new reserves from the development project are estimated at 230 million barrels of oil equivalent. The project also aims to extend the operation of Valhall, which has been producing since 1982, beyond 2028.