On 22 May 2004, the converted Normand Cutter left Ulstein Verft, Norway, and went straight into its first assignment.
"We sailed to Moss, Norway, where we loaded 18 km of umbilical," said Captain Geir Ove Olsen.
"The umbilical was laid between the Sleipner platform and the underwater unmanned platforms. It was connected using ROVs. The mother platform uses the umbilical to provide the unmanned platforms with everything they need, such as hydraulic, oil, fibre-optic, or electrical connections. The first assignment was pain-free, and the job barely took three days," he summarised.
MOBILISING FOR THE KVITEBJØRN FIELD
The pipe carousel was removed after the first assignment.
"We don’t need the carousel for the next assignment, when we sail to Peterhead to mobilise for the Kvitebjørn Field. 40-metre-long spools will be laid between the oil platform and the pipes; these are connections that contain valves. Each connection weighs 80 tonnes, and we will use the 300-tonne crane. The crane can lift 300 tonnes using a single wire. The wire itself weighs 172 tonnes, and the hook alone weighs 12 tonnes. These are big numbers," according to the Captain.
DIVING ASSIGNMENTS
"The first two assignments will last a month and a half and will require a crew of up to 90 people at the most. The next assignment will require a full crew, in other words, around 114 people. We are going to Libya twice. We are going to participate in diving and construction work in the Baar-el-Salaam field. After the diving work is complete, we will return to Norway to remove the diving equipment and install a new carousel. Then we will return to Libya again to install umbilicals there," said Olsen.
COVERING AN IN-BETWEEN MARKET
"The variation in the first three assignments indicates the exciting pipe-laying and construction market we have entered. There are almost no vessels with our crane capacity. We cover the market between smaller vessels and enormous crane vessels. The 300-tonne crane can go down to 2,500 metres, and the 25-tonne crane has been upgraded to reach 500 metres. The smaller crane complements the large one and can assist at the end of a lift. Together, the two cranes can cover the entire deck. We can take on a variety of assignments, including crane work, diving, and all types of construction jobs, and we have a large load capacity of 10,000 tonnes. We have a three-year contract with Sonsub, and I do not think we will be out of work during these three years."
THE CAPTAIN IS PLEASED
Captain Olsen is pleased with his ‘new’ vessel.
"It is a very sophisticated vessel with a lot of heavy, advanced equipment. The vessel works as expected and responds to the slightest touch. We have not had any start-up problems, and I think the vessel will work brilliantly in the future," he concluded.
