To main content

Deepening of the Eems-pipeline

The 42" Eems pipeline is part of the pipeline connection between the gas cleaning and drying plant of Phillips Petroleum at Rysumer Nacken in Germany, and the natural gas pipeline network in the Netherlands. The gas is obtained from the Ekofisk gas field in the Norwegian region of the North Sea. The pipeline crosses the morphologically dynamic Eems estuary over a length of 4 km, passing both the deep shipping lane ‘Oostfriesche Gaatje’ and the shallow sand bank ‘Paap’.

Since the installation of the pipeline, the Eems’ strong currents have exerted a strong scouring effect on the edge of the sandbank. Over the years, this has resulted in the recurring exposure of a 500 m long section of the pipeline. In order to protect the pipe, and to prevent the occurrence of free spans, scour protection material (stones, sandbags and screens) were repeatedly placed on top of the exposed pipeline. The dumping of scour protection material gradually accumulated to a situation where there was a 500 m long dam within an area where the surrounding seabed had eroded to a level some 10 m deeper, causing a serious navigational hazard. As a permanent solution for this problem the pipeline was to be lowered over a distance of 900 m to a level below the calculated future scour level. The work was executed by a consortium within which Boskalis was responsible for dredging, survey and positioning. Hydronamic was responsible for the dredging related engineering during the project preparation phase, as well as during execution of the works.

Related projects

Selected filters
Beach_pull_at_Pulau_Pemping2_header.jpg

Seabed preparations, PGN

The pipeline between Pulau Pemping, Indonesia, and Pulau Sakra, Singapore, is the final link of the transportation system for natural gas from onshore fields on South Sumatra to Singapore. The successful completion of the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contracts for the 27-kilometers 28-inch gas pipeline with a 96-core fibre optic cable in one of the busiest ports and shipping traffic zones of the world marked a milestone for Boskalis. The scope of work comprised not only seabed preparations and protective rock berm installation - Boskalis Offshore core activities - but also pipeline manufacturing and installation.

111-1126_IMG_header.jpg

Deepening of the Eems-pipeline

The 42" Eems pipeline is part of the pipeline connection between the gas cleaning and drying plant of Phillips Petroleum at Rysumer Nacken in Germany, and the natural gas pipeline network in the Netherlands. The gas is obtained from the Ekofisk gas field in the Norwegian region of the North Sea. The pipeline crosses the morphologically dynamic Eems estuary over a length of 4 km, passing both the deep shipping lane ‘Oostfriesche Gaatje’ and the shallow sand bank ‘Paap’.

Development gas export pipeline,
Hibiscus to Point Fortin

The NCMA Development Project comprised the development of the North Coast Marine Area, which is located in the Caribbean Sea and Bay of Paria, Trinidad. The project included the installation of a 24" Gas Export Pipeline from the Hibiscus Platform to a landfall at Point Fortin. From the landfall the pipeline was routed by directional drilling and by surface laid pipeline, to a termination point in the Atlantic LNG Terminal at Point Fortin. As part of this project Boskalis was awarded the contract for the provision of landfall, directional drilling and onshore pipeline installation and testing of the 24" gas pipeline system.

Sandpiper_foto_offshore_2_header.jpg

Hanze F2a Development Project

Hanze, 200 kilometers offshore Den Helder in block F/2 of the North Sea, is the first operated development in the Dutch sector by Germany's Veba Oil. The oilfield reserved approximate 34 million bbl, plus 40 bcf of associated gas. 

Installation gas pipeline, Takoradi

Late November 1998 Boskalis was awarded a subcontract for the installation of two marine pipelines to supply and discharge cooling seawater for the Takoradi thermal power plant that was under construction for the Volta River Authority, near the village of Aboadze approximately 20 kilometers north-east of Takoradi, Republic of Ghana.

WD_Fairway_and_Sandpiper_near_platform_header.jpg

Re-insulation Gannet 'C' Bundles, North Sea

The Gannet 'C' satellite field, which is located in the North Sea at 112 miles East of Aberdeen in 95-meter water depth, comprises four drill centres, each having one or more producing wells. The drill centres are connected to the local platform Gannet 'A' by four flowline bundles with a total length of 10 kilometers. A glycol-based gel, filling the annulus of the Gannet 'C' carrier pipe, insulated the individual flow lines. Prompted by degradation of the gel and the resulting drop in oil and gas arrival temperatures at the platform, an EPIC project took off for a re-insulation system. The objective of the re-insulation system was that it should provide sufficient insulation to the bundles in order to safeguard production during the total field life of Gannet 'C', being a minimum lifetime of 15 years. Boskalis Offshore was supported by Hydronamic - the in-house engineering department.