The first steel was cut at the Mostostal Pomorze yard in Gdynia on 26 October, and work started at Energomontaz in Gdansk the following day. The two yards have long experience as sub-suppliers to Aker Solutions.
The plan was scheduled to start in November. “But following a hectic period for engineering and procurement at the project office at Fornebu, we were ready to start manufacture of the deck sections three weeks ahead of schedule,” says Olav Henriksen, ConocoPhillips’ manager of the 2/4 Z project.
Together with Robert Dahlsveen, head of construction and completion, he was there for the start-up. Aker Solutions will have its site team on location during the construction phase, and was also represented by its project management during construction start-up in Poland.
When completed, the deck sections will be transported to Aker Solutions’ yard in Egersund for assembly and further outfitting of the topsides. The first sections from the yard in Poland are expected to arrive in Egersund in March next year. The work in Egersund will take place until spring 2013.
Ekofisk 2/4 Z is a wellhead platform with 36 well slots. Thirty-five production wells and one well for reinjection of drill cuttings will be drilled. According to plan, five of the wells will be pre-drilled in 2012/2013. The topsides will be ready for sail-out in March 2013 – and the plan is to start up and deliver the platform to the operations organisation towards the end of 2013.