Sudden Threat to Sverdrup Installation Plans
Friday 10 March 2017
A proposed regulatory change to Norway’s Working Environment Act could have severe consequences for Statoil’s giant Johan Sverdrup development, as it would — if passed by Parliament — effectively ban the only vessel capable of installing the field’s massive topsides structure.
The Norwegian national oil company’s development plan for Sverdrup is highly dependent upon the availability of marine contractor Allseas’ twin-hull behemoth Pioneering Spirit.
The platform installation and removal vessel, which entered service last year, is the only unit in the world able to lift three of the Sverdrup platform topsides, featuring integrated decks weighing between 19,000 and 26,000 tonnes.
Addressing the topic of technical risks associated with the Sverdrup project, field partner Lundin Norway’s chief operating officer Eirik Sverre Jenssen said recently that the availability of the Pioneering Spirit has been at the very top of the risk list for some time.
If not for the extreme capabilities of Allseas’ new vessel, Statoil and lead contractor Aker Solutions would not have designed the platform decks for single-lift installation.
This weeks’ proposal issued by Norway’s largest political party, Labour, with backing from the Centre and Socialist Left parties, is a source of grave concern for the project as it could prohibit many tried and tested specialist vessels — including the Pioneering Spirit — from working in Norwegian waters.
Norway’s Working Environment Act (WEA) sets strict regulations on work hours and conditions on offshore installations and vessels.
If backed by a Parliamentary majority, the revised regulations stand to take effect from 1 August 2017.
Allseas president Edward Hereema stated this week that the proposed measures would be highly detrimental and unworkable for the offshore construction industry, and would also be against the wishes of the workers that the WEA purports to protect.
“The vessels working in this industry are expensive and weather-sensitive, so that working hours have to be around-the-clock in order to get the maximum out of good-weather spells,” he argued.
Hereema added that there are not enough beds on offshore construction vessels to allow personnel to work less than 12-hour shifts each day. If shifts were to be shortened, he said, there would not be enough personnel on board to handle the workload.
“Moreover, almost all people working in the offshore construction industry strongly prefer to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, as the time spent outside work is used for little else than eating and sleeping.
“There are very limited leisure possibilities on board construction vessels,” the Allseas boss said, suggesting that crewmembers “would suffer from boredom” if the proposed rule change were to go through.
“The workforce prefers 12-hour shifts and then wishes to maximise the number of weeks back at home, within the constraints of having sufficient weeks on board again to earn their living,” Heerema said, adding that this applies worldwide, wherever offshore activities take place.
A Statoil spokesman acknowledged that the Sverdrup development concept is reliant on the Pioneering Spirit lifting the three largest topsides structures.
“We feel the agreement with the shipowner is secure. As a customer, we do not wish to speculate on the outcome of eventual regulation processes. The contractors we use are to follow the regulations governing the activities to be performed,” he said.
Should the proposal fail to win approval at this juncture, the Labour party — which presently appears well-placed to win the national election in October — has promised it will try again