Logistics specialist GAC Marine recently carried out the massive task of towing the deck structure of the Mobile Offshore Production Unit and storage (MOPUStor) for Norway’s Talisman Energy Norge AS out of Abu Dhabi.
GAC’s Anchor Handling Tug “Susanna” was lead tow tug for the transit from the Mussafah industrial zone in Abu Dhabi to offshore the emirate where it was then loaded on a semi-submersible heavy lift vessel for the voyage to the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The GAC-owned tow vessel was selected for the charter due to her technical suitability with the required bollard pull and an experienced crew.
The MopuStor weighed 12,000 tonnes and was the largest load ever to transit the Mussafah Channel. GAC Marine was solely responsible for providing the lead tug on a Time Charter basis.
Fabricated at Topaz Energy and Marine’s Abu Dhabi yard, the value of the company’s portion of the work on the MOPUStor was US$75 million. The work was subcontracted to Topaz by Netherlands based Single Buoy Moorings for its client, Talisman Energy.
Topaz’s scope of work was fabrication and construction of the hull and topsides of the MOPU, project completion took more than two years with the workforce peaking at 1,400 men.
“We pride ourselves on being a complete upstream logistics support service provider with an international network,” says Ismayil Manzil, Group Oil & Gas Logistics manager at GAC. “Our strict compliance programme of HSSE (Health Safety Security Environment)/FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) is sure to be recognised by the major players. We are confident that we will maintain our place in the sector throughout the region, be it Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi or Oman.
Manzil says that 2010 brought no major surprises considering the fact that the Middle East is a mature market for this industry. “Barring Iraq and the Red Sea side of Saudi Arabia, oil & gas infrastructure in all other countries are already in place. This was achieved in the early 1980s and we don’t expect any surprises unless there is a free fall in oil price or the region is forced to conduct an infrastructure make-over.”
Manzil is hopeful that the increasing stability Iraq is experiencing will propel investments, acting as a catalyst for the industry, both regionally and globally.
