Business Central September 2021

64 | Major kudos for Pohokura Pipeline T T Richard Loader The Normand Baltic pictured during OMV’s Pohokura Pipeline Repair. ENERGY OMV New Zealand O MV New Zealand (OMV) was recently announced winner of the 2021 Net- work Initiative of the Year at the an - nual New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards. The awards provide an annual opportunity to recognise excellence and achievement across the energy sector. OMV’s success at the event recognised its groundbreaking repair work of the flexible underwater Pohokura Pipeline, just off the Taranaki coast. A three-year campaign that only conclud- ed in March, the project sought to replace damaged interconnecting flange bolts on an undersea pipeline that operates under intense pressure bringing the offshore production to the onshore plant. An underwater repair of a flexible pipeline has never taken place before so the project was a world first with the developed technolo - gy likely to be deployed elsewhere. The judges were impressed by OMV’s collaboration with subsea experts FUGRO and vessel provider Solstad and the way in which the company harnessed new technologies to model solutions, test assumptions and deliver data and footage from the boat via satellites to computers in New Zealand and around the world with only a minimal delay. Much of the most difficult work on the pipe - line was completed during the lockdown in 2020 and involved the creation of a dedicated isolation bubble for 80 staff aboard the Nor - mand Baltic vessel offshore in Taranaki. “We were really concerned about getting COVID-19 on the boat and having a cruise-ship type situation unfolding,” says Kerry William- son, OMV’s Head of Development Projects New Zealand. “As soon as Level Four was announced the boat became an isolated bubble with every external point of contact managed. Even our local people coming in for a shift change were taken out of their homes and put in a hotel in isolation for two weeks before we allowed them to go on the boat. So just managing local staff was challenging.” Running a ‘People First’ campaign, looking after people’s mental health and well-being was the key focus of the project given the ex- tended working hours and people in Covid-19 solitary isolation. “We put a lot of effort into contacting anyone in isolation daily and consulted with psychologists in respect to what these people could be going through in terms of being away from family for extended periods. About two thirds of the crew had been on the ship for over 50 days with a couple of guys over the 70 days mark — whereas the normal shift was 28 days on 28 days off.” Kerry says he is extremely proud of the project team for this outstanding achievement and acknowledges the invaluable contribution of the key contractors FUGRO and Solstad Offshore, as well as Pohokura’s partners, Todd Energy. “This project demonstrates what is possi- ble when true collaboration takes place. This project spanned engineering challenges, the application of new technologies including the use of underwater robots and the additional complication of a global pandemic interrupt- ing staff movements and disrupting supply chains. “In completing the project we ensured the integrity of the pipeline for years to come and the ability to continue to deliver New Zea- land’s gas needs.” The campaign concluded earlier this year without a single person being hurt and no negative impact to the environment. The pro- ject was completed under budget and ahead of schedule thereby keeping the outage of the pipeline to a minimum. OMV is an Austrian based international energy company and is both producer and refiner of oil and gas with entities throughout the world. “OMV has been in New Zealand for twenty years as both a non-operator joint venture partner on the Māui and Pohokura assets and operator of Maari Asset.” In late 2018 OMV took ownership of the Shell portion of the Pohokura and Māui assets and is now 100% operator of Māui and 74% of Pohokura. Approximately 50% of New Zealand’s natural gas supply through OMV operated assets including Māui and Pohokura. 73 Corbe� Road, Bell Block New Plymouth 4312 LFF - A leading global supplier of piping components in all grades of material including corbon steel, stainless, duplex and all special alloys. The LFF Group has over 35 years experience, supplying to major Oil & Gas projects globally, including upstream field development and downstream processing.