Saipem, Island Offshore and Maritime Developments Ltd (MDL) worked together to tie in an LNG import and regasification facility to the Greek gas transmission network (INGS) for Gastrade
A floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and a mooring and pipeline system were installed, then connected to Greece’s INGS. MDL provided equipment and personnel on a subsea installation vessel under a subcontract from Saipem, which was responsible for the whole project.
An MDL flex-lay spread was used for the installation of two flexible risers, a dynamic control umbilical and associated jewellery, connecting into a pipeline-end manifold (PLEM) from the FSRU. Subsea pipelines then connected the PLEM back to the coastal valve station onshore.
The equipment spread consisted of a horizontal lay system (HLS), enabled with a TTS-4/180 series tensioner and an adjustable deck deflector, integrated with the client’s own equipment on board Island Offshore’s 2020-built Island Victory.
MDL’s HLS enabled efficient installation of 27 buoyancy modules from a wide work platform for safe personnel movements.
This LNG import facility will provide natural gas via the INGS to consumers in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia.
On MDL’s HLS, there was height clearance between the platform and the outboard chute and a range of handling aids for feeding the buoyancy module halves into the firing line.
The MDL tensioner had a longer track contact and upgraded squeeze circuit compared with similar equipment available on the spot market for optimised product handling.
MDL said these features “extend the window of product diameters and coefficient of friction the tensioner can safely handle while maintaining secure grip and efficient deployment or retrieval.”
Unique to MDL’s complete tensioner range is the failsafe grip system for safe and optimised handling as it continues holding the product, even during power losses on the vessel.
MDL project manager Scott Stewart said this was a challenging project from start to finish.
“With it being winter in the Mediterranean, we faced weather setbacks,” he said. “Thanks to our modern technology and service personnel, we were quick to respond to the changing conditions and progress with the installation as soon as it was safe to do so.”
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