The Jebel Ali facilities of J Ray McDermott SA will soon begin fabrication work for an integrated wellhead platform (IWJ) ordered by Al-Khafji Joint Operations (KJO).
KJO awarded two contracts to McDermott Arabia Company Ltd (MACL), a subsidiary of J Ray, to provide engineering, procurement, construction and installation services for KJO developments in the Arabian Gulf.
The first contract is for an integrated wellhead jacket (IWJ) in the Al-Khafji oil field, offshore Saudi Arabia. The second contract will see J Ray support the expansion of KJO’s loading facilities in the offshore Neutral Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Projects of this type are typically valued over $50 million.
“This is a great opportunity for us to offer KJO our integrated, turnkey capabilities in carrying out their latest field development projects in the Gulf,” said Hafez Aghili, vice president and general manager, Middle East and India, of J Ray McDermott, S.A. “The IWJ-4 jacket is the fourth wellhead jacket that J Ray has recently undertaken for KJO; in October 2004 we successfully completed the fabrication and installation facilities of two integrated well jackets, three months ahead of schedule.”
The new IWJ wellhead platform, weighing approximately 1,100 tonnes, is similar to other IWJs. The structure, including jacket, piles, and deck will be fabricated at the Jebel Ali yard under a fully integrated project management team.
Detailed engineering work will begin soon at J Ray’s design office in Jebel Ali, with fabrication planned to commence by the middle of this year, explained Sameh Ali, the company’s project manager for KJO projects.
In addition, J Ray will also undertake a site survey, pre-commissioning, and limited commissioning of the unmanned integrated wellhead jacket. Installation work is scheduled to start in December 2006, targeting completion by the start of 2007.
Under the terms of the loading facilities expansion contract, J Ray will undertake detailed design, procurement, and construction of an 8km 36-inch diameter pipeline and a 5.5 km 13.8 Kv submarine cable. The project also involves the replacement of a 48-inch manifold to accommodate the new 36-inch topside piping, including new 36-inch and 48-inch motorised operated valves. The expansion project will also include design and installation of an offshore loading control system.
“We have a great deal of experience executing turnkey projects involving large-diameter pipelines,” said Ali. “Projects of such a nature are testament to our core competencies to deliver our customers’ requirements and to maximise production efficiency.”
J Ray’s Jebel Ali-based project team will perform the engineering, procurement, and construction work commencing in the first quarter of 2006, with offshore installation, hook-up and commissioning scheduled for the second quarter of 2007.
KJO is joint venture between Aramco Gulf Operations Company Ltd (AGOC) and Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KSC) (KGOC).
