Today, up to 2,400 men and women are starting to mobilise for the hook-up and completion of the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea.
Approximately 150 people, plus crew from the flotel-operator ProSafe — will set sail aboard the floating accommodation vessel “Safe Zephyrus” from Mekjarvik outside Stavanger, bound for the North Sea.
When the flotel arrives at the Johan Sverdrup field this weekend, it will mark the beginning of the offshore mobilisation of the giant field which will be in production for more than 50 years.
“This is a big day for Statoil and the Johan Sverdrup partnership. Today we’re sending the first group of people offshore to start the important task of hooking up the growing Johan Sverdrup field centre and preparing for production start-up late next year,” says Trond Bokn, senior vice president for Johan Sverdrup.
As soon as “Safe Zephyrus” arrives at its destination, the work to finalise the riser platform — the first topside installed at the field — will begin. Soon after, hook-up preparations will begin for the drilling platform, the next topside to arrive in early June.
With two platforms in place, the accommodation jack-up vessel “Haven” will join “Safe Zephyrus” at the field to increase bed capacity to nearly 900 beds during the hook-up and finalisation phases of the project, enabling three shifts of up to 2400 workers from Statoil and our suppliers to be based at the Johan Sverdrup field.
“Safety is important for everything we do in Statoil and in the Johan Sverdrup project," says Bokn. “With several thousand people offshore in this next phase, it really brings this message home. High quality in execution has been one of the hallmarks of the Johan Sverdrup project so far. Maintaining focus on quality and safety in the phase we’re entering into will be absolutely critical."
Safety is also top priority for Torkjell Stangeland. Along with with Wiggo Lønøy and Ann-Cathrine Holmen, he is one of three platform managers who will be responsible for Johan Sverdrup operations after start-up. Stangeland will also be the first platform manager out at the field with the "Safe Zephyrus".
“There is a lot of excitement, I must admit. We’ve spent several years thoroughly planning each operation, and we have worked a lot with emergency preparedness. It will be very exciting to be among the first out there working on Johan Sverdrup, but to be honest what I think most about is the safety of everyone offshore,” says Stangeland.
“At the same time, I know a lot of the people on their way offshore also feel a lot of pride and joy. We’ve looked forward to this day now for many years, and now that we’re here I can hardly wait to set sail and get started,” he says.
Jez Averty, senior vice president for operations in the southern North Sea, is equally excited about the next phase for the Johan Sverdrup development.
“After start-up, the next North Sea giant will be one of the Norwegian continental shelf’s best assets, with a peak production of 660,000 high value barrels per day and low emissions, so we clearly have a vested interest in this going well,” says Averty.
“A lot of work remains, however, and there are no short-cuts to success offshore. To succeed means remaining alert and fully focused on completing the work ahead in a safe and compliant manner. And we have every intention to do just that,” says Averty.
