The Hebron project is one step closer to its goal of first oil at the end of this year thanks to Fagioli and RINA Services.
The 150,000 bbl/d project is a joint venture between ExxonMobil, Chevron, Suncor Energy, Statoil and Nalcor Energy.
WorleyParsons, the topsides (above water components) contractor for the project, sub-contracted Fagioli and RINA to transport the massive topsides from Korea and install them at the project site offshore Newfoundland and Labrador in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin.
Fagioli, an Italian heavy cargo carrier, and RINA Services, an Italian company with expertise in both marine and energy, fitted a substantial portion of the topsides, including a 45,000-tonne utilities/process module. A large part of the module was the living quarters, and due to its height and 4,000-tonne weight, RINA’s assessment of barge stability and weather-induced motions were critical to the success of this phase.
“Because of the height of the structure, any small movement of the barge would be greatly amplified at the top of the module,” Dino Cervetto, the director of technical services at RINA Services, says.
“One of the major challenges of the project was verifying that the prevailing conditions would allow the installation operation to be carried out successfully and safely,” Andrea Massera, the chief engineering officer at Fagioli, adds. “Too much movement of the barge, and the corresponding module would have made the process impossible.”
Luckily, everything went smoothly, and the project is well on its way to completion.Like this? You should be reading Oilweek.
