Sakhalin Energy, the Shell-led consortium developing one of the world's largest E&P projects off the southeastern coast of Russia, has successfully completed the installation of the Lunskoye-A gas production platform Topsides, in a record-breaking operation in the Sea of Okhotsk, northeast of Sakhalin Island.
The successful ‘mating’ of the installation’s Topsides to the four legs of the concrete gravity base placed on the seabed last summer, follows the 11 day tow of the Topsides from its fabrication yard in South Korea. The Topsides arrived on location on Sunday, June 18.
Shell says that the installation process was a carefully prepared and well executed operation that took over nine hours, involving the coordination of the Topsides on its transport barge, the Saipem Castoro-8 installation support vessel and a fleet of five tugs and anchor handling vessels.
Sakhalin Energy Phase II project director David Greer said: This operation is a great example of professional engineering and marine mastery. The marine team not only safely towed the giant Topsides all the way from Korea to Lunskoye, they then successfully placed them atop their concrete legs.
This was truly a thoroughly professional operation, involving the excellent co-operation of all parties involved and was completed efficiently without incident. The top of the Lunskoye-A platform, which will become Russia’s first offshore gas production platform, now stands proudly some 110m above the Sea of Okhotsk, he added.
The platform will be the main source of gas for Russia’s first LNG plant at Prigorodnoye. The facility will now undergo hook up and commissioning work before commencing drilling of gas production wells. LNG production is expected to start in 2008.