Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway –Statoil says the living quarters for its new Valemon platform offshore Norway has left the Hertel yard in Gorinchem, the Netherlands.
The 37-m tall (121-ft), 40-m (131-ft) wide, 1 400-metric ton (1,543-t) structure was transported on a barge to Rotterdam, with seven bridges along the river Rijn opened to allow it to pass.
TheValemon platform will start producing in the North Sea in 4Q 2014. The jacket is already in place on the field and drilling has started, while the deck remains under construction by Samsung in South Korea. The living quarters will be transported there on a larger vessel for assembly to the deck, which will be shipped to the North Sea next year.
Despite the roundabout journey, according to Valemon construction project director Trond Bokn, “It is actually more profitable to do it this way. The main reason is that we can connect the living quarters to the rest of the deck facility onshore, thus avoiding a lot of work offshore. It costs less to transport and build onshore.”
7/4/2013
