DNV GL awarded offshore pipelay surveillance contract for Polarled pipeline

DNV GL has been awarded another offshore pipelay surveillance contract by Statoil to monitor quality assurance throughout the installation campaign.

Polarled Pipeline Project (Photo credit: Statoil)
Kjell Eriksson
As new fields have become increasingly complex, the pipeline segments have also experienced cost challenges like other parts of the industry.

“New technologies and continual development of best practise have the potential to contribute positively to the cost reduction efforts necessary to make the industry more robust. Our aim for this project is to contribute to safe cost reductions through ensuring best practice during the installation process to avoid stops and repairs, thus reducing downtime to a minimum during the costly laying process,” says Kjell Eriksson, Regional Manager – Norway, DNV GL Oil & Gas.

“This contract award marks the continuation of a strong collaboration between DNV GL and Statoil’s Pipeline Installation segment. Integrated subsea pipeline installation, field verification and quality surveillance have been a major service field for our Stavanger office since 1997 and this is yet another example of how we contribute with our best experience to assure efficiency and quality throughout the installation process,” continues Eriksson.

Statoil is installing the 480km long Polarled gas pipeline between the Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Sea and the Nyhamna gas processing facility in western Norway. The pipeline will have capacity of 70 million cubic metres per day. The contract is valued at approximately 31 million NOK (US$4 million) and is expected to run until the end of the pipeline installation, 3rd quarter 2015.

DNV GL will complement Statoil’s installation team of pipeline engineers with multi-disciplined surveyors and inspectors to follow-up the quality aspects during welding and Field Joint Coating (FJC) on-board the pipelaying vessel throughout the installation campaign. Both pipelines (Polarled and Edvard Grieg Oil Pipeline (EGOP)) will be installed using Dutch installation contractor Allseas’ lay vessel “Solitaire”.

DNV GL’s first pipeline code was issued in 1976. It has achieved global recognition, winning prestigious industry awards and currently 60-70% of all new projects globally are designed and constructed according to DNV GL standards. Just recently during Corrosion 2015, the world’s largest corrosion conference, DNV GL was awarded NACE’s Distinguished Organization Award for 2015. “DNV GL has decades of distinguished service and dedication to the science of managing corrosion, illustrated by NACE leadership and participation, leadership in Joint Industry Projects (JIPs), and authorship of numerous white papers, industry standards, recommended practices, and service specifications.” the NACE jury said in its statement.