Delivering on-time

Meg Chesshyre speaks with HSM Offshore business development manager Jaco Fleumer about the firm’s current work program and future prospects.

A18 Topside for Petrogas Transportation at HSM Yard, Schiedam, NL.  Images from HSM Offshore.

First off the blocks in mid-July is the Flyndre Cawdor over Clyde modules M12 (1200-tonne) and M14 (400-tonne) being built for Aker Offshore Partners – on behalf of Clyde operator Talisman Sinopec Energy UK – for the UK/Norway cross-border Flyndre Cawdor project operated by Maersk. HSM had a procurement and construction contract here with Aker Solutions providing engineering assistance. Installation is expected to be by Heerema Marine Contractors.

Fabrication of the Dutch sector A18 satellite platform for Petrogas was on target for delivery from mid-August onwards. The EPCI contract comprised a 950-tonne topsides facility and a 1250-tonne jacket with engineering support provided by Iv-Oil & Gas. Installation is being carried out by Seaway Heavy Lifting using its 5000-tonne capacity heavy lift vessel Oleg Strashnov. Drilling will start once the platform is in place with first gas looked for around the turn of the year.

The A18 satellite platform is almost a carbon copy of the B13 platform, which HSM supplied to Chevron in 2011. Petrogas bought Chevron’s Dutch sector operation last year. The A18 platform will be installed in the shallow gas fields (6-800m as opposed to a norm of around 2000m) in the northern part of the Dutch Continental Shelf. Special technology is needed here, because of the relatively low pressure, including sophisticated sand screen techniques. HSM Offshore supplied the risers for the tie-in of the pipeline coming from the A18 platform to the existing process system of the A12 platform. It is likely that more fields will be developed in the shallow gas fields area in due course.

The 330-tonne E17a-A compression module for ENGIE (previously known as GDF SUEZ) was due for delivery by end-August – a procurement and construction contract with Iv-Oil & Gas on engineering support. The gas compression module will be installed on the existing E17a-A platform in block E17 of the Dutch continental shelf, about 100km northwest of Den Helder. The four-legged E17a-A platform was built by HSM Offshore in 2009, and has gas treatment and export facilities. The module will be installed by Tideway, using the self-propelled heavy lift jackup Neptune.

Offshore high voltage substation for Horns Rev C for Energinet.dk currently under construction at HSM Yard, Schiedam, NL.

HSM started work this summer on an EPC contract for an 1800-tonne offshore high voltage sub-station for Denmark’s Energinet.dk Horns Rev C wind farm, with KCI providing engineering services. HSM delivered the first Horns Rev A sub-station back in 2002, and a second one, Horns Rev B, in 2008. There has been a steady growth in the capacity of the sub-stations from 160MW for Horns Rev A, to 250MW for B, then 400MW for C.

Fleumer was confident that there is more offshore work in the pipeline, and was awaiting the result of current tendering. He said that HSM was always very keen to carry out EPIC contracts, because of the added value resulting from taking the interface risk. This was the ideal contract format for new entrants into the North Sea with limited contract staff.

Fleumer concedes that “the oil and gas market remains challenging, at least for the next year or so,” with projects taking a long time to mature, because there was very little financing available. With rig rates coming down, hopefully more exploration would follow, leading to further new developments eventually, he says.

The renewable market, on the other hand, had stabilized, with a steady flow of work expected from the UK, Denmark, Germany and Belgium. HSM has a good track record in this market, including the delivery of a 325MW, 2200-tonne deck to the Belgian sector Thornton Bank project in 2012. Fleumer sees a lot of commonality in the two markets, needing the same fabrication and load-out facilities.