By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Nov. 11 -- J. Ray McDermott, a unit of McDermott International Inc., New Orleans, said it has completed the fabrication, transportation, and installation work as part of the Bayu-Undan gas recycle project being developed in the Timor Sea on behalf of ConocoPhillips unit Phillips Petroleum (91-12) Pty. Ltd., the project's operator.
Under the terms of several contracts, McDermott fabricated, transported, and installed two, 10,000 tonne, 8-leg jackets—the drilling, production and processing (DPP) platform jacket and the compression, utilities, and quarters (CUQ) platform jacket. Also installed were the project's personnel bridge and flare system. Fabrication, which took 17 months to complete, was carried out at J. Ray McDermott's Batam Island fabrication yard, P.T. McDermott Indonesia.
The platforms began their 3,000 km journey from Batam to the Timor Sea in mid-May on J. Ray McDermott's Intermac 650 launch barge.
The Bayu-Undan installation project was a "unique" one for J. Ray McDermott, according to Kurt Nelson, vice-president and general manager, eastern hemisphere. "We have successfully executed a construction and installation project that had a number of technical 'firsts' for both ourselves and the industry," he said.
One of the challenges during the construction phase of the project was the construction of one of the world's longest and heaviest flare barges, J. Ray McDermott noted. The barge measured 226 m long and weighed 2,000 tonnes.
Other challenges presented themselves during the transportation stage of the DPP and CUQ jackets, which were moved on the same barge, in one tow. Both jackets were installed in 80 m of water using J. Ray McDermott's Southeast Asian-based combination derrick barge, the DB30, which has a crane capacity of 2,800 tonnes.
During the installation process, the jackets' footings required the removal of 10,000 sq m of earth. Collectively, 27 drilled and grouted piles were installed during the program, which included 7 piles that were preinstalled for the WP1 and FT1 substructures.
Phillips Petroleum (91-12) Pty. Ltd. holds 58.6% interest in the Bayu-Undan project. Other project partners are Santos Ltd., Inpex Ltd., and Agip SPA.
