Stolt Offshore Services S.A. has awarded BJ Process and Pipeline Services (BJ PPS) a multi-million dollar contract to provide pipeline pre-commissioning services on several sections of Shell's new offshore gas gathering system (OGGS) in Nigeria. BJ PPS will provide flooding, cleaning, gauging, hydrotesting, de-watering, air-drying, and nitrogen packing services on the OGGS 32-in. trunkline, 24-in. spurline, and 16-in. spurline.
The first phase of the OGGS project, pre-commissioning the 32-in. trunkline, is underway. BJ PPS has successfully flooded, cleaned, and gauged the offshore section of the line. Work is being carried out both on and offshore. The pipeline will be tied in to the unmanned OGGS RP-A platform, 18 km west-southwest of South Forcados, where BJ PPS will work from a support vessel alongside the platform. The trunkline runs 268 km southeast along the Nigerian coast to Bonny Island, where it reaches the shore and runs onshore 8 km inland to the Bonny Island NLNG plant.
Phase II involves the pre-commissioning of the 24-in. spurline that connects the OGGS RP-A platform to Forcados Yokri, 88 km north of RP-A. The third and final phase is to pre-commission the 16in. spurline between the RP-A platform and South Forcados, a distance of 18 km.
Phases II and III will be carried out from a support vessel positioned alongside the RP-A, and on the respective beaches at Forcados Yokri and South Forcados. BJ PPS will leave the pipeline on the beach sealed, following pre-commissioning.
According to John Adams, general manager of BJ PPS, "This is the largest pre-commissioning operation currently taking place in West Africa."
7/2/03
