Ekofisk 2/4 L inaugurated

Offisiell åpning av Ekofisk 2/4 L av statsråd Eriksson

Offering far greater comfort to residents, the platform was fully installed in the autumn of 2013 and inaugurated on 1 April 2014 by labour and social affairs minister Robert Eriksson.

He flew out for this ceremony with Steinar Våge, president for Europe at ConocoPhillips, and representatives of the other Ekofisk licensees, the ministry and the two largest contractors.

On behalf of the Norwegian government, Eriksson expressed thanks for the job done to Norway’s benefit by the workforce on Ekofisk: “We’re proud of you and pleased that this new platform can provide a good place to be,” he said, and also emphasised the big and important contributions made by Norwegian industry to the project. He concluded by unveiling a memorial plaque.

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The 2/4 L platform was installed as part of the Ekofisk Complex and linked by bridges to 2/4 M and 2/4 Z. It ranked in 2014 as the largest accommodation facility in the Norwegian North Sea, with 552 single cabins.

In addition came 75 office spaces, a hospital, recreation areas and a regional telecommunications centre which coordinated all air and sea transport.

Two helicopter hangars and the helideck, with the capacity to handle 50 flights per day, were installed on top of the platform.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Pioneer, no 2, 2014.

Big structures

The steel jacket for 2/4 L was fabricated at Kværner Verdal (formerly Aker Verdal) north of Trondheim. This yard had long experience with such structures, having constructed 40 jackets in as many years – including many for the Greater Ekofisk Area.

With piping and sections, the jacket was produced under cover at the yard and then taken into the open air for surface treatment and assembly into larger units.

It stands 110 metres high and weighs 5 400 tonnes. Out on the field, the structure is anchored to the seabed with 50-metre-long piles.

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Kværner Verdal, which also fabricated a bridge support, started work on the 2/4 L jacket in October 2010 and had completed the job by the spring of 2012.

The platform topsides were built by Sembcorp Marine (SMOE) in Singapore, where ConocoPhillips had a team supervising the construction process.

This included two bridges and a bridge cover as well as the topsides – a job worth NOK 2.3 billion in 2010 value.

Some 300 people were engaged in hooking-up and completing the platform on the Ekofisk field during 2013.