Italian energy industry engineering and construction firm Saipem has loaded out the first three topsides for QatarEnergy LNG’s North Field Production Sustainability (NFPS) gas project, located offshore the north-east coast of Qatar.
The three topsides, including one wellhead production and two riser platforms, were loaded out from Saipem’s Karimun fabrication yard in Indonesia.
The modules are being installed on the northeast coast of Qatar for QatarEnergy LNG’s NFPS Offshore and Pipelines Project aimed at sustaining the production plateau of the largest non-associated natural gas field in the world.
“This pivotal milestone underlines our engineering and fabrication capabilities and our significant role in a world-class project,” Saipem said on social media.
The deliver is part of the $1.7 billion contract Saipem secured from QatarEnergy LNG, formerly known as Qatargas.
The scope of work encompasses the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) of various offshore facilities for the extraction and transportation of natural gas, including platforms, supporting and connecting structures, subsea cables and anticorrosion internally cladded pipelines.
Furthermore, the project encompasses the decommissioning of a pipeline and other significant modifications to existing offshore facilities.
Pipe-laying and lifting operations will be executed by the DE HE vessel in water depths of approximately 65 meters, leveraging on Saipem’s high-end welding technology for corrosion resistant cladded pipelines.
The project aims at increasing the early gas field production capacity to 110 million tonnes per year.
Saipem was also awarded the offshore export pipelines and related onshore work scope of the North Field Production Sustainability Pipelines Project.
In 2022, the Italian company secured what it described as the largest single offshore contract by total value in the its history at the time from QatarEnergy LNG, valued at approximately $4.5 bilion.
The contract is for the NPFS Offshore Compression Complexes Project – EPC 2. The scope of work includes EPCI of two offshore natural gas compression complexes aimed at sustaining the production of the North Field, including two of the largest fixed steel jacket compression platforms ever built, flare platforms, interconnecting bridges, living quarters and interface modules.