DOHA: A barge carrying the second of two Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) project platform structures has left the J Ray McDermott Middle East, Inc (Mcdermott) fabrication yard in Dubai bound for the waters north of Qatar.
The structure, known as a topside, is scheduled to be lifted onto its jacket or 'legs' which are already in place offshore, completing the Pearl 2 production platform. The first Pearl GTL topside structure was transported to Qatar and lifted onto the Pearl 1 jacket to complete the Pearl 1 production platform in March. The Pearl GTL project is being developed by Qatar Petroleum and Shell.
The platforms for the Pearl GTL project have been designed to be simple, with all natural gas processing carried out at the Pearl GTL plant onshore. In normal operations they will be unmanned. Nonetheless the Pearl 2 topside structure has a lift weight of 1,840 tonnes, as much as 800 Toyota Landcruisers, and is the size of a 10-storey office building.
Like the Pearl 1 topside, Pearl 2 has five decks of production, control and testing equipment, including 90 kilometres of control and power cables within the structure. It will be connected to 11 wells drilled into the natural gas reservoir below the seabed.
"The safe departure of the Pearl 2 topside from the yard is another sign we are nearing completion of the massive Pearl GTL project," said Andy Brown, Shell's Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the Pearl GTL project. "I would like to thank the team at the yard for their hard work. The structures they have built will produce natural gas for decades to come, which the onshore plant will convert into valuable products for use around the world." Over 4,000 workers at the McDermott yard worked on the Pearl 2 topside, completing their work in 22 months. The entire construction operation was achieved without a single injury that led to lost work time.
Pearl GTL is the largest energy project ever launched in the State of Qatar. It will produce liquid fuels, lubricants and chemical feedstocks from natural gas, opening new markets for Qatar's natural resources. It will also produce significant quantities of natural gas liquids and ethane.
© The Peninsula 2010
