Delicate Load-Out Operation
Load-out of the 2,600-ton jacket on Mammoet’s SPMTs.
Mammoet, one of the world’s largest service provider specializing in engineered heavy lifting and transport, has successfully completed the load-out and transport of heavy components for Marathon Oil’s Alba B3 compression platform. The components include a topside and jacket built in the Netherlands and a flare and bridge built in Equatorial Guinea. The topside and jacket were manufactured in two different ports by the Heerema Fabrication Group (HFG), a sister company of Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC). HFG did the engineering, procurement, installation and construction work (EPIC) for the Alba project. In the first port, Mammoet loaded the 5,800-ton topside, measuring 40 x 40 meters and 35 meters in height, over the bow-side of the barge onto the stern, requiring a careful ballasting procedure. The barge then sailed to the second port for load-out of the 2,600-ton jacket. HMC transported the barge from the Netherlands to Equatorial Guinea.
While the operation to transport the topside and jacket was underway Mammoet was in Equatorial Guinea picking up the 73-meter-tall flare and the 33-meter-long bridge. These components were manufactured by a local Equatoguinean subcontractor ECG on Bioko Island, where the country’s capital Malabo is located. Most of the route from the construction site to the loading point was through the jungle. Mammoet surveyed the entire route and equipped the SPMTs with turntables to navigate narrow sections of road. Mammoet also advised ECG on necessary road improvements and movement of power cables along the route to ensure safe passage.
Arriving at the port of Malabo, the flare and bridge were loaded onto a barge by a roll-on operation. HMC transported the barge to its final destination in the Alba B3 field, approximately 32 kilometers offshore from Bioko Island. On site, the flare and bridge were brought together with the topside and jacket. All components were installed by HMC and their crane vessel and HFG is currently carrying out the hook-up and final commissioning.