The Gjøa platform takes shape
In the days between Christmas and New Year, Aker Solutions successfully carried out a major marine operation on the Gjøa platform, under construction by Aker Solutions, as the deck and hull of the platform were mated together outside the yard at Stord. “I am impressed by this operation,” said Kjetel Rokseth Digre, Statoil’s project manager.
Gjøa is the largest ongoing field development project in the North Sea. Aker Solutions has carried out front end engineering design, detail design of topside and hull, procurement, construction and hook-up of topside, and mating of topside and hull. The company is also responsible for installation of the mooring system, transportation and installation of the semi-submersible production platform.
The dimensions of the Gjøa platform are huge. The deck (topside) weighs in at more than 20,000 tonnes, and the hull at around 15,000 tonnes. At the same time, the margin of error is small. With only a tolerance of 25 millimetres (1 inch) in all directions, the hull fit to the deck, which is about the size of a football field.
“This operation was well-planned, safe and efficient and carried out with the utmost precision,” said Rokseth Digre.
More than 2,000 people from Aker Solutions and its suppliers have been working on Gjøa in recent months. Work will continue in the next months, in order to get the platform ready for tow-out and operations.
Statoil is Gjøa’s development operator, while GDF Suez will take over as operator at production start-up. Other partners in the field are Petoro, Shell and RWE Dea.
Photo://Aker Solutions
