Offshore

With fluctuating oil prices due to geo-political events and market forces, each decade has brought new challenges for oil producers. One constant, however, has been the drive for more efficient and cost effective operations. This has led to a trend towards bigger installations, requiring specialist installation techniques. All offshore oil and gas facilities require massive investment. When the oil price is up, high-capacity platforms deliver strong returns. When the price is low, margins are tighter and producers are seeking to benefit from greater efficiencies and economies of scale. Whatever the economic circumstances, the offshore market is continually looking for smarter, safer ways of working to maximize productivity and return on investment. 

Oil and natural gas are a huge part of the global energy picture. However, recent years have seen oil prices constrained, a drive to reduce carbon emissions and increasing competitiveness from renewable energy. This has led to an industry focus on the optimization of all elements of offshore facility construction and operation. Cost-effectiveness, construction efficiency, time to market, productivity, safety and maximizing uptime are all crucial and they can all be enhanced with the right heavy lifting and transport expertise. As the market leader in engineered heavy lifting and transport, Mammoet plays an important role for our customers in realizing efficiencies and optimizing projects to ensure the maximum return on investment.

Mammoet has designed new systems to safely load out or decommission the world’s heaviest topsides. We have also helped our clients draft more efficient heavy lift schedules that facilitate the integration of floating production vessels (FPSOs). Across all types of offshore projects our engineers and professionals in the field have a ‘can-do’ approach to every challenge that comes before them. We combine our state-of-the-art fleet of heavy lifting and transport equipment, long experience in the oil and gas sector and engineering expertise. Our aim is always to help customers find innovative, safer and more efficient ways of building, maintaining, repurposing and decommissioning their offshore assets.

In some cases, Mammoet might be able to suggest tweaks to the initial designs that make modules or jackets easier to lift, assemble or transport. These modifications will reduce the project’s critical path so that the facility comes into production sooner, aiding time to market. They will also minimize costs by lowering the equipment and crew requirements.

 

Whenever our customers want to explore new ways of doing things, Mammoet’s natural passion for engineering comes to the fore. Larger platforms, new designs and changing construction techniques create intriguing challenges for us. Mammoet’s team of highly skilled engineers will find new ways of combining our existing heavy lifting and transport equipment to meet these challenges, and we offer bespoke solutions for our customers. Since the 1970s we’ve been supporting fabricators in the oil and gas industry, and many of our innovations are now standard practice in the construction, load-out and installation of platform topsides and jackets.

The design of the physical elements of an oil platform, drilling rig or floating production vessel is an important stage of the process. However, planning must also take into account fabrication, load-out and installation operations. Each yard has its own approach to heavy lifting, and Mammoet is able to offer support on a case-by-case basis. We can cover the entire heavy lifting scope during fabrication, with complete oversight of the process, or we can assist in specific areas as required.

 

The load-out of a platform – transferring it from land to water transport – is the riskiest procedure in an offshore project. It’s also where Mammoet’s support is most significant. Our engineers will design the safest and most stable load-out strategy, choosing the most appropriate equipment from our fleet, which includes an array of world-class cranes, jack-up solutions, skidding systems, SPMTs and more.

The final critical area of planning covers at-sea installation, and here Mammoet offers a range of services. In particular, we can help engineer innovative float-over and jack-up systems that reduce risk and save time and money, for instance by removing the need for heavy-lift vessels.

 

From working with the initial design concepts to improve constructability, through to supporting lifting and transport activities during fabrication, and on to installation, Mammoet’s expertise in the offshore industry offers a range of benefits to our customers. Working with leading fabricators around the world, we know the importance of quality, safety and reliability, while at the same time striving for greater efficiency, lower costs and a shorter timeline.

Involving a heavy lifting and transport partner like Mammoet early in the process means each move can be engineered for efficiency and the right equipment selected. From the transport of an individual blowout preventer or dynamic positioning thruster through to the load-out of a completely integrated topside assembly, each operation requires thorough planning, taking into account a number of considerations at every stage.

 

For example, if a change-out can be done at sea, the timeline can be shortened but it increases risk and requires specific installation equipment. On the other hand, if a rig can be brought to the quay side, the change-out can be managed with lower costs but there is likely to be more downtime. Consulting with Mammoet as early as possible in the project can help you make these key decisions and choose the right solution.

Mammoet’s global reach and quayside premises around the world make it possible for us to mobilize quickly, assemble the required equipment and expertise, and provide a quay for maintenance and assembly work to be carried out if required. With terminals in Schiedam, Westdorpe, Port Freeport and Singapore, as well as relationships with other major ports and terminals around the world, Mammoet offers customers that flexibility.

 

With a dedicated project manager as your point of contact, the logistical process can be planned, taking into account safety, engineering, on-site operations, land-sea transfers, heavy load permitting and more. A route survey is carried out up front, calculating the envelope of each load, anticipating any bottlenecks based on local infrastructure and transport methods, and drawing up contingencies to mitigate risk.

Where fabrication and installation are carried out by a yard, Mammoet can offer additional equipment and engineering capacity. In addition to the provision of high-capacity cranes and jacking systems, our specialist engineers will analyze the project and suggest innovative solutions so that jackets can be manufactured faster, parallel fabrication of modules can be planned and executed, and assembly and installation sequences can be optimized to shorten schedules and maximize uptime.

 

Whether it’s the assembly of a platform, decommissioning a facility or maintenance work, time is always of the essence. Downtime cuts into the profitability of the operation, making efficient logistics a crucial facet of the operation. The right heavy lifting and transport partner will help you improve your process, enhance safety, shorten the critical path and keep the project in the black.

 

For optimum construction efficiency, modules are often fabricated at a variety of locations around the world in parallel, and then transported to a dock near the oil field for assembly and integration. When the various decks forming the topside have been pancaked, the platform is floated out for installation and can start producing oil.

 

With Mammoet’s expertise, ways can be found to optimize each lift and transport operation throughout the entire construction sequence for a platform topside. Landside, we have the expertise to lift, load and transport each module, moving it from its point of fabrication to the dock for assembly. Mammoet will provide extensive heavy lifting support in the yard itself to facilitate safe and efficient assembly.

When the platform is ready to be floated to the rig’s final location, we will engineer a smooth load-out solution based on the weight and design of the topside. For platforms weighing up to 13,000 tons, a configuration of our self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) is often the best way to move the payload onto a barge. For heavier weights, and where other designs have been used, skidding systems often provide the most reliable load-out method.

 

At every stage, preventing incidents is of the utmost importance, and Mammoet’s safety procedures meet or exceed those of all the oil and gas operators, fabricators and government bodies we work with. By engaging with Mammoet from early in the design phase of the modules and the platform, we can find ways of optimizing the construction so that lifting and transportation can be carried out in the safest and most efficient way possible. This will reduce construction time, lower costs, and ensure maximum uptime for the platform in the oil field.

A jacket or compliant tower is usually built lying on its side. The process involves the construction of the four sides of the structure side-by-side on the ground. Subsequently, high-capacity cranes lift the panels into position for welding. This process is called the roll-up. Even though the structure is assembled on its side, a good deal of work is done at height, which poses safety risks. It also means that a group of large and costly cranes is used to lift and hold pieces of the steel framework in place for weeks at a time while the welding is completed.

When jackets and compliant towers reach a certain size, the deployment of numerous, very large cranes presents high costs, and either they have to be stick built, or alternative methods must be found. Working alongside fabricators, Mammoet has developed a roll-up technique that uses a combination of strand jacks and cranes to lift and pull the side and top panels into place. This speeds up construction, reduces overall crane costs, and makes the process safer for workers in the yard.

 

This method is easier to execute in the construction of a compliant tower, with its straight sides. However, a jacket’s form tapers from the base to the top, meaning each strand jack along the length of the roll-up needs to operate at a slightly different rate to bring the trapezoid-shaped panels into position evenly, and with no deflection or bending. Mammoet’s engineers will tailor the method and equipment used to the scale of the project, overcoming new challenges that arise with new solutions.

Once constructed, the jacket or compliant tower needs to be transported from the yard to its final location in the oil field. Its load-out from land onto a barge is the riskiest part of the entire operation. Normally, a jacket is built right on top of a skid track and when complete it is moved directly from quay to the barge. The interface between the pier and the barge is the most critical, because it is here that forces impact the main cords along the length of the structure. Any lateral force impacting the cords could compromise the strength of the jacket, rendering it useless. With vast skidding and ballasting expertise, many decades of load-out experience, and an unrivalled fleet of equipment at our disposal, Mammoet can support, facilitate and execute the load-out of jackets and compliant towers for our customers.

 

Combining a fleet of state-of-the-art equipment with fine-tuned engineering expertise, Mammoet assists fabricators throughout the construction process of jackets and compliant towers. Using methods we have developed helps oil and gas operators reduce the overall construction timeline of an installation, boosts efficiency and enhances overall safety. The result is increased uptime for production platforms, which directly impacts the bottom line.

One reason for selecting a self-installing platform is the reduced construction requirement. By eliminating the need to produce a separate support structure, a significant amount of construction time can be saved, which reduces risk and improves overall project efficiency. With modular construction techniques facilitating the parallel fabrication of the platform, modules and legs, and with a heavy lifting and transport partner helping coordinate the integration process, this approach can offer the right solution when a quick turnaround is vital.

 

A second area where self-installing platforms bring real benefits to operators is in the installation phase. Without the need for an operation to load-out, transport and install a jacket structure, project risks can be significantly reduced and safety enhanced. Transporting the finished platform to its final location is normally as straightforward as floating it from the port to the oil field.

 

One of the most challenging phases of the installation is the lowering of the legs. When they begin to touch the seabed, the force of the waves may move the platform and its legs up and down and laterally, making it difficult to lock in at the correct position. However, Mammoet’s experience and specialized, tensioned strand-jack technique can be used to simultaneously lower and stabilize the legs and raise the platform above the waves. The result is operations that can be carried out smoothly, efficiently and without incident in a wider weather window.

 

Developments in the design of self-raising platforms may even lead to nimbler solutions for oil and gas operators. The self-installing platforms of the future might be able to jack their legs up when a deposit is depleted in order to begin production in another location, or for simpler and safer decommissioning. Mammoet’s expertise and experience means we are ideally positioned to facilitate such operations. This could open the way for companies to extract smaller deposits where they exist in shallower waters more cost-effectively, removing the upfront investment burden involved in building a brand-new platform and jacket.

Early involvement is vital to minimize risk, save time and enhance overall safety. Mammoet’s engineers can help with the planning process in a number of ways. First, suggestions can be given on the design of the modules so that they can be transported from the yard to the quay, and lifted onto the vessel safely and efficiently. Secondly, with an understanding of all the lifting required across the entire scope of the project, Mammoet’s logistical expertise means that vital moves and lifts can be sequenced for optimum efficiency. This includes carrying out the operation with as few movements of the ship itself as possible, taking into account the need to load modules to both port and starboard sides. Thirdly, the layout of the yard during fabrication can be planned so that cranes and other equipment can be optimally positioned, and so that moves of components don’t interfere with other construction processes.

Some of the components required for an FPSO or FLNG normally come from external fabricators. Mammoet’s global experience in heavy transport means we are ready to support the load-out, transport by land and water, and unloading of modules from fabricators around the world. Mammoet can also carry out heavy transport within the yard using equipment such as self-propelled mobile transporters (SPMTs) and skidding systems.

 

Throughout the integration of an FPSO or FLNG, Mammoet’s engineers and equipment operators will look for ways to innovate, saving time and ensuring the safe load-out of each component. Our range of fast and flexible equipment, and crews who are familiar with the workings of a busy offshore fabrication yard, mean that we are ready to adapt to changes of plan that may occur.

Mammoet is a heavy lifting and transport partner that supports the health, safety, environmental and social commitments of our customers in the oil and gas sector. Safety is our number one priority during every project we undertake, and we look to engage with and contribute to local communities wherever our customers carry out their operations.

 

As the oil and gas industry seeks to improve productivity, every day spent at the quay is a day of lost production. With the right heavy lifting and transport partner involved, operations can be solidly planned, production schedules brought forward, and load-outs handled as efficiently as possible. This helps put FPSOs into production sooner rather than later, and improves the bottom line.

 

With the early engagement of a heavy lifting and transport partner like Mammoet, optimum solutions can be found for the fabrication, upgrading, maintenance and emergency repair of drilling vessels and drilling equipment. Mammoet’s extensive heavy transport and logistical experience includes the on-time delivery of large and heavy drilling components from manufacturers’ premises to quayside yards, or directly to vessels at sea, across the globe.

 

The engineering expertise Mammoet brings means that innovative solutions can be found that shorten the critical path of projects such as the repair, replacement or extension of drilling rig legs. In some situations, we can find ways of carrying out the work without requiring the time and expense of bringing a drilling vessel into a dry dock for upgrading. If newer, longer legs and new spud cans can be installed using a strand jack system rather than by carrying out the work on land, costs and schedules can be reduced, and the vessel can be back in the oil field carrying out assignments far sooner than a dry dock would allow.

By combining engineering expertise and an unrivalled palette of heavy lifting and transport equipment, Mammoet finds ways to help customers carry out work in parallel. For instance, by providing a large crane on the dock rather than a smaller one on the deck of a drilling vessel, extensions to the legs can be carried out at the same time as other vital maintenance and inspection work on the deck, directly reducing downtime for the rig.

 

The work Mammoet carries out on exploration drillships, drilling rigs and platform-based drilling equipment helps operators in the oil and gas sector on two main fronts. Firstly, working with a heavy lifting and transport expert is a cost-effective way of bringing greater versatility to the vessels — newer, more efficient components can be installed to enhance productivity, while bigger, stronger and longer legs on a drilling rig, for instance, give it access to deposits that lie under deeper and more turbulent waters. But the second area is even more crucial from a business perspective. By optimizing fabrication and maintenance processes, we shorten the critical path on projects, which ultimately maximizes uptime for these vessels. Productivity is improved, revenue streams are maintained and the ledger stays in the black.

 

Whatever the driver behind the operation, a heavy lifting and transport partner like Mammoet can be a valuable ally in the battle to maximize efficiency and shorten the timeline, without compromising on quality or safety. Mammoet can manage the logistics involved in moving components such as new dynamic positioning thrusters or blowout preventer (BOP) units from the manufacturer’s site to a fabrication yard or dry dock, or to the platform itself for installation. We have supplied heavy lifting expertise to projects converting topside platforms from production to accommodation units, and handled the transport and load-out of fully assembled drilling modules to help our customers achieve a shorter timeline, which ultimately helps maximize productivity.

Where drilling rigs require longer or more stable legs in order to be more versatile, Mammoet has found innovative solutions on a case-by-case basis. To extend the legs of a drilling rig, a very large quayside crane rather than a smaller crane on the deck of the rig means that the leg extensions can be carried out in parallel with other maintenance work, saving our client time. In other cases, a rig’s legs and spudcans can be replaced without the need to go into a dry dock, again shortening the schedule, improving uptime and lowering costs. And sometimes, when a big crane might seem like the right answer, Mammoet can offer quicker, leaner solutions. For instance, if a rig’s BOP carrier needs to be changed, it may be possible to lower it with strand jacks and skid it onto the quay side rather than using a large crane. This eliminates the mobilization period required for a crane from the timeline for a faster change-out.

 

Equally, when problems arise on an oil and gas platform and repairs and maintenance work need to be done quickly, Mammoet is ready to respond. With a global presence, and the world’s largest fleet of fully maintained and reliable heavy lifting equipment, we can help you bring facilities back online safely and efficiently, minimizing downtime and helping maximize productivity.

 

One thing is certain. When an oil platform or drilling rig is decommissioned, heavy lifting will be on the project’s critical path and is pivotal to the project’s overall success. That’s why having an experienced heavy lifting expert like Mammoet on board from early in the planning phase is so important. From the first engineering calculations right through to the landside demolition of the topside and its modules, Mammoet will help find ways of making the process faster, safer and more efficient. Because many decommissioning projects will rely on both taxpayer and oil company funding, maximum project efficiency is vital.

 

Often, the conventional method of decommissioning or relocating a fixed topside would involve transporting a mobile crane to the platform to lift heavy modules or cargo containers from the deck onto transport vessels. Although this approach can still be taken, today’s high-capacity heavy lift ships usually make it safer and more cost-effective to lift the entire platform from its jacket onto a barge, which will take it to its new location, or to the quay side. Once at the dock, it can be lifted, skidded or rolled ashore on a self-propelled mobile transporter (SPMT), and then dismantled in the yard.

Working with our customer and other partners involved in the decommissioning or relocation, Mammoet can offer advice, expertise and equipment across the project. The grillage that the cargo will rest upon during the barge journey needs to be carefully designed in order to safely accommodate the load, taking into account its weight and center of gravity — but also, crucially, the means by which it will be moved from the deck onto dry land. Mammoet designs grillage structures as well as computer-controlled ballasting systems so that the barge’s deck is at the right height during load-out at sea and load-in at the port. We can also provide the jacks, cranes, skidding system or SPMTs required to move the topside from the barge onto the quay, and engineer this critical part of the process.

Sometimes, the design of the platform means that Mammoet’s engineers are able to come up with innovative new ways of lowering it onto the barge. A strand jack solution, for instance, would remove the need for a heavy lift ship, saving time and direct costs on the project. The platform can then be barged ashore for decommissioning, or moved to a new location and jacked up onto its legs to resume production at another well.

 

Every offshore decommissioning or relocation project comes with its own unique challenges, but that’s what excites us at Mammoet. With each operation, our aim is to understand our customer’s needs, and then to plan and execute a project that saves time and money, while protecting people and assets.