Valemon jacket installed by Heerema

News - June 21, 2012

On 18 June Thialf, one of the world’s largest heavy lift vessels, lifted the 9,000 tonne steel jacket into position on the Valemon field in the North Sea.

The 160m high construction is the largest steel jacket installed in a single lift on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) and is the first major component installed for the Valemon development project. The operation was carried out as planned and the project is on schedule.

The jacket, which was built by the Heerema Fabrication Group BV in Vlissingen in the Netherlands, was transported from the shipyard and out to the field by the crane barge.

"We are very pleased with this delivery from Heerema Fabrication Group BV, a new supplier to Statoil of steel jackets of this size," said Anders Opedal, who heads up the projects at Statoil.

"With Valemon the licensees are developing a new field in mature and exciting North Sea acreage. By making use of the existing infrastructure for processing and transport, the development is also preparing the ground for the cost-effective tie-back of new fields in both the Tampen and Heimdal areas. This will represent an important contribution to Statoil's goal of developing the mature areas on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) in the years to come," saids Ivar Aasheim, head of field development on the NCS.

The Valemon platform contains the equipment for treating gas and condensate from discoveries in the adjacent area. Statoil and its licence partners are planning to conduct a programme of exploration in the area close to Valemon, where several prospects have been mapped.

Development of Valemon involves a fixed platform with a steel jacket for the separation of gas, condensate and water. The gas will be transported via a new pipeline to the existing pipeline from Huldra to Heimdal for further processing.

The condensate will be piped to the Kvitebjørn platform for stabilisation and further transport via the Troll oil pipeline to the Mongstad refinery.