Petrofac restores Bekok-C platform for PETRONAS

Restoring the fire-damaged Bekok-C platform was a complex task – which was completed safely and on time, thanks to an integrated team.

The PETRONAS Carigali-operated Bekok-C platform is about 250km offshore from the Malaysian peninsular. It is a manned platform that serves as a gas processing and compression hub which, following a fire, has been refurbished, upgraded and safely brought back into production without a single lost time injury (LTI) in the space of just 16½ months.

Petrofac Project Director David Gregg said: “The early completion of such a complex and risky brownfield project once again demonstrates the ‘driven to deliver’ capability of Petrofac in Malaysia.”

New ways of thinking and lessons learned from previous projects were combined with exceptional team work to complete the restoration, on schedule, within budget and safely. Much of this success can be attributed to the way that the ‘Alliance Integrated Team’ pulled together. This team was formed of representatives from Petrofac and PETRONAS Carigali, and was overseen by senior management from both companies.

The scope of the project was large from the outset, with the work growing more than 25% from that envisaged in the original contract. To give an idea of some of the numbers involved, 1,600 valves and 2,100 spools were installed with 1,100 pipe supports, 180 km of E & I cables were installed and a total of 51 pressure vessels were inspected of which seven had to be replaced and 25 repaired including 144 nozzle repairs.

2.7 million man-hours were worked on the platform which was ‘live’ for more than 90% of the contract duration. More than 450 workers, accommodated offshore on four separate vessels at peak, worked double shifts to minimise any delays. The main hook-up barge stayed on location continuously for 18 months including two monsoon seasons.

Petrofac Executive Vice President Murugan Pitchai commented: “Everyone who was involved should be very proud of the accomplishment.”

The full article is available in the February 2014 edition of Petrofacts.