Mariner A Steel Jacket On its Way to the North Sea

Statoil reported Tuesday that the steel jacket for its Mariner A platform in the UK North Sea left the Dragados shipyard in Spain and is en route to its location on the Mariner field some 90 miles east of the Shetland Islands.

Construction of the large platform sub-structure began in October 2013 and was completed in May this year, "on time and within budget and with a very good HSE performance", Statoil said in a statement. Approximately 440 feet tall and with a footprint of 58,730 feet, it is the largest steel jacket ever built for a Statoil project. The weight is 22,400 tons including flotation tanks and rigging.

The load-out from the Dragados yard in Cadiz onto the S44 barge took place in late July. The main tug 'Skandi Iceman' was connected to the barge and in the afternoon the jacket safely entered the channel of Bahia Cadiz. The 1 835-nautical mile journey from the southern part of Spain to the Mariner field in the North Sea is expected to take around two weeks.
  
After it has arrived at the field, the jacket will be launched by the barge being ballasted to a certain angle, enabling the 22,400-tonne structure to slide horizontally into the sea. Subsequently the structure will be upended and maneuvered into the right position by the heavy-lift vessel Saipem 7000. Finally the jacket will be secured by 24 piles, ensuring that it is safely fixed for many decades to come.

Topsides installation is planned to take place in 2016.

The Mariner heavy oil field consists of two shallow reservoir sections: the Maureen Formation and the Heimdal reservoir. The development of the Mariner field will contribute more than 250 million barrels reserves with average plateau production of around 55,000 barrels per day.



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