Next project for Maersk Oil Qatar to start in Dec
MUSCAT -- The L&T Modular Fabrication Yard (L&T MFY) at the Port of Sohar will shortly celebrate the load-out of its maiden order, paving the way for the launch of commercial operations at the Sultanate's first project specialising in the fabrication of offshore structures. A cargo of 2,000 metric tonnes of steel piles, destined for India's Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), has been readied for despatch by barge in a flawless operation that underlines the yard's world-class capabilities.
The massive tubulars of 1524 mm diameter and up to 50 mm thickness have been welded together and assembled into pile sections of a maximum length of 75 metres, each weighing 110 metric tonnes. They will form part of ONGC's Booster Compressor Platform at Hazira (Gujarat, India) where gas will be compressed before being pumped to the onshore terminal at Hazira through an existing pipeline. For L&T MFY, a joint venture of Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) -- India's largest engineering and construction conglomerate -- and The Zubair Corporation of Oman, the load-out serves to showcase its off-shore and all-weather delivery capabilities.
The facility is now preparing to commence work in December on its next major fabrication order involving the supply of decks, jacket, flare towers, piles, risers and piping for Maersk Oil Qatar. The order, entailing some 2,200 metric tonnes of high-end fabrication work, will effectively open the gates to a bigger share of offshore fabrication projects in the burgeoning Middle East hydrocarbon market. Set on an area of 3,60,000 sq metres at the industrial port, the Yard is being equipped for heavy structural fabrication, sophisticated equipment and systems integration and testing, and load-out of ultra-large modules.
The facility has a capacity to produce about 50,000 tonnes of modular goods per year, primarily for the offshore oil and gas industry. With the fast track development of its infrastructure and facilities, the Yard is poised to undertake more challenging jobs in the near future. Products to be manufactured in the Yard include Oil & Gas Platforms, Jackets, Jack Up rigs, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) systems, pipe racks, modular design based skid mounted equipment, waste heat recovery modules, and so on.
Oman's government and the Port of Sohar are supporting the venture by developing the waterfront and marine infrastructure required for the Yard. Besides earmarking a 90-hectare plot at the industrial port, the government has also dedicated a 300-metre-long quay wall for the facility. A 100-metre length of this quay wall is strengthened to cater for the handling of ultra heavy loads.
By Conrad Prabhu
© Oman Daily Observer 2007
