Project Overview
Subsea 7 contracted MMA to conduct tug and barge services for the transport of Chevron materials from Batam, Indonesia and Henderson, Australia to the Gorgon and Jansz fields. MMA was responsible for the provision, management and operation of tug and barge spreads to provide transportation of permanent structures and spools associated with the subsea construction activities to the installation vessels.
Given the scale and complexity of the Project, MMA established a dedicated Project Team to manage tug and barge operations. The Project Team opted for a flexible marine spread, whereby all tugs were capable of towing each barge as opposed to matching tug and barge sets. To support this initiative MMA subcontracted Swire Pacific Offshore, Samson Express Offshore and Express Offshore Solutions to provide vessels for the project in addition to MMA’s own vessels. Upon contract award, MMA resourced a Singapore based mobilisation team to supervise mobilisation, and after deployment of vessels to Australia, a Henderson based technical team to provide logistics support and oversee barge mobilisation requirements. MMA deployed the Mermaid Achiever and other vessels as nominated security tugs to provide security and piracy protection from load out to delivery into Australian waters. All international tows were successfully conducted without interruption.
Achievements & Project Outcomes
MMA successfully partnered with Subsea 7 to provide a full suite of integrated marine services. The flexible marine spread ensured the Project Team was able to meet the Client’s dynamic schedule. In 14 months, MMA successfully completed the transportation of Chevron’s subsea structures and spools associated with the Heavy Lift Ti-ins and Umbilical Installation and trenching scopes.
This included:
- Tow Tugs Vessel Charter Days - 3300 days
- Transportation Barges Charter Days - 3600 days
- Supply/Support vessel Charter Days - 1100 days
- Distance Travelled on Charter - 90,000 Nautical Miles
- Structures Installed - 20
- Spools Installed - 63
- Flying Leads Installed - 63
- Barge to Installation Vessel, Hip up ops - Over 180 Hip ups
- Crew Inducted onto Tugs & Support Vessels – Over 450 Crew
- LTI on T&B Package – Zero days lost due LTI’s
- Fuel Bunkers used – Over 27,000,000 Litres
- Water Bunkers used – Over 12,000,000 Litres
- Security & Piracy Mitigation Plan, Transportation of 8 Barges loaded with CPI through High Risk Indonesian waters – Zero Incidents of Security breach or Loss or damage of CPI
- AQIS/DAFF IMS Compliance – Importation of 18 vessels in to Australia – Zero incidents of non-compliance – 100% successful
The project was conducted without hurting anyone or damaging equipment. The entire project equates to over 9 years accumulated vessel hire with zero LTI’s.
Subsea 7 was awarded the contracts for Gorgon’s Heavy Lift and Tie-Ins scope. MMA was subcontracted in July 2013 to provide the marine spread, transporting subsea construction material from Batam, Indonesia and Henderson, Australia to the Gorgon and Jansz Fields.
To support the project, MMA resourced a dedicated project management team in Fremantle and a Singapore based mobilisation team. The project spread consisted of 9 tugs of >8000bhp, 9 barges of 330’ to 400’ length, 2 assist tugs and 1 PSV; as well as a number of security and assist tugs for the voyage down from Batam. In total over 450 offshore personnel were inducted for the project, which ran from October 2013 to January 2015. The safety performance of the project was exemplary and the total vessel charter equated to just over 9 years accumulated crewed vessel hire with zero LTIs.