The project team of McDermott Caspian Contractors, Inc. (McDermott), the Caspian operating subsidiary of J. Ray McDermott, S.A. (J. Ray), recently bid farewell to the Drilling, Utilities and Quarters (DUQ) topsides for the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) operated by BP.

 

DUQ integrated deck weighing more than 15,560MT is the fourth integrated topsides fabricated by McDermott for BP-operated Azeri, Chirag and Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. In addition to the fabrication, hook-up, commissioning and load-out of the structure, McDermott will also undertake offshore hook-up, commissioning and start-up assistance for DUQ.

 

“With the sail-away of the DUQ topsides McDermott has achieved the significant milestone of completing all four topside fabrication projects, weighing more than 60,000 tonnes, within the agreed schedule, for the first three phases of the ACG development,” commented Dan Houser, Vice President & General Manager, Caspian operations. “Work on these projects was primarily done in Azerbaijan using the infrastructure, equipment and skilled labor of the Baku Deepwater Jacket Factory (BDJF).”

 

Upgrading local infrastructure at the BDJF and collaborating with local partners were key aspects of these projects’ success. McDermott performed incremental upgrades and established a full project infrastructure at BDJF as part of its previous topsides fabrication contracts with AIOC. Nearly 24 million man-hours were expended on the topsides fabrication, and approximately 80% of the work was completed by local Azerbaijani craftsmen.  

McDermott Caspian Contractors Inc. (McDermott) is the Caspian operating entity, and wholly owned subsidiary, of J. Ray McDermott, S.A. McDermott provides products, services and creative solutions to the offshore oil and gas industry. These services include, but are not limited to, engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and project management, offshore pipelay and marine construction.

Under contracts to Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), operated by BP, McDermott Caspian Contractors, Inc. has fabricated integrated decks and installed subsea pipelines for Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 development of AIOC’s Azeri, Chirag and deepwater portion of the Gunashli fields in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. McDermott Caspian Contractors, Inc. has also performed a project under a prestigious contract by BP Shah Deniz Exploration Ltd. for engineering, procurement, fabrication, pre-trenching, offshore installation and pre-commissioning of three 92km long offshore pipelines, from the Shah Deniz TPG500 platform to Sangachal onshore terminal.

McDermott was also awarded . In January 2007, the company received a sub-sea pipeline installation project by OOO Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft, a subsidiary of OAO LUKOIL Oil Company, for the Yuri Korchagin field in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea.

McDermott has established constructive working relationships with SOCAR and its subsidiaries Baku Deepwater Jacket Factory named after Heydar Aliyev (BDJF) and the Caspian Sea Oil Fleet. As part of its topsides fabrication contracts with AIOC, McDermott executed a comprehensive upgrade program of the BDJF facilities and established a full project infrastructure at the BDJF yard.

J. Ray McDermott, S.A. is a leading provider of solutions for the offshore field development industry worldwide and is a subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc.  McDermott is an engineering and construction company, with specialty manufacturing and service capabilities, focused on energy infrastructure. McDermott's customers are predominantly utilities and other power generators, major and national oil companies, and the United States Government. With its global operations, McDermott operates in over 20 countries with more than 20,000 employees, and can be found on the internet at www.mcdermott.com.