Although oil has traditionally been the focus of Gabon’s hydrocarbons sector, in recent years natural gas has become more prominent. This has resulted from a number of new discoveries and the development of fertiliser and petrochemical plants. Perenco has been providing natural gas, delivered under pressure via a 450-kilometre pipeline, to the Libreville and Port-Gentil power stations for over a decade.
The scope of the project included the delivery and installation of grout bags to support the freespan rectification of the Lucina gas line. Four different models of ULO’s grout bags were required to meet the requirements of the 16-inch and 18-inch pipelines.
ULO also mobilised its proprietary equipment to support the process of installation and filling of the grout bags. Equipment was modified for the project due to the limited space on board the vessel. These modifications allowed for the continuous feed of bagged cement despite space restrictions.
An in-house team of ULO’s technical staff was allocated to the project and remained onsite for the duration of the project, supervising and operating the equipment as well as ensuring the client’s specifications were met and ULO’s quality standards were adhered to at every stage.
“From our headquarters in the UAE, we have been offering grouting products and services to the international offshore oil and gas sector for over 25 years,” said Colin Reilly, general manager at ULO Systems. “We have identified Gabon and other African countries as key growth markets and being awarded this project by Perenco is the first step in achieving our targets for the region.
“We were able to deliver this project ahead of schedule and we are now working towards securing additional freespan rectification projects in Gabon and surrounding countries in the second half of 2019. The successful completion of this project in challenging conditions further cements our position as a trusted international partner for all offshore grouting applications.”
ULO has completed manufacturing and supply projects around the world and has offices and distribution networks in the UAE, USA, Holland, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago and the UK.
