Artist's impression of the Njord floating storage unit out on the field.
In June 1995 Norsk Hydro awarded Kvaerner Masa-Yards an engineering, procurement and construction contract for a floating storage unit (FSU) for Norsk Hydro's Njord Field. The contract for the 100,000 dwt unit is worth around NKr470 million: the vessel is under construction currently at Kvaerner Masa-Yards' Turku New Shipyard with delivery due next June.
Njord is located in block 6407 in the Haltenbanken area approximately 30 km from Draugen. Water depth is 330 metres. The field will be developed with subsea wells tied back to a floating production unit (FPU), located directly above the completed subsea wells. Single subsea wells, located in a V-formation within the anchor pattern of the FPU, will be connected via flexible risers.
Produced oil will be stored in the FSU, stationed 1.3 nautical miles, or 2.5 km, from the FPU. Oil production in the field should start in October 1997. The FSU will have a storage capacity of 112,000 cu metres, equivalent to 10 days' production.
The FSU will employ a submerged turret loading system anchored to the sea bed. Njord will be one of the first fields on the Norwegian shelf using this technology.
The passive turret mooring system is located in the fore body of the FSU. Crude oil from the FPU is transferred via a flexible riser and a swivel through the turret into the vessel. The main electrical power supply will also be transferred through the turret via electrical cables and slip rings as well as fibre optic cable signals.
During normal operations, the FSU will be unmanned. Operation and communication will be performed remotely by a telemetry link.
Offloading of stabilized oil to shuttle tankers is arranged through a flexible hose in the stern of the FSU. The offloading rate will be 8,000 cu m/hr: at each offloading a crew will be transported onboard with helicopter.
The FSU will be equipped with a 2.5MW azimuth thruster located in the aft which will be used for heading control at the offloading phase. It will also contain 13 double cabins for accommodating the crew during offloading and maintenance. The vessel is designed for 15 years of continuous operation and a hull fatigue life of 25 years.
Kvaerner-Masa Yards has been involved in several FPSO projects and concepts over the past 15 years, and a production unit alternative of a modified Njord FSU concept is now available (incorporating a submerged production turret).
Copyright 1996 Offshore. All Rights Reserved.
