Bien Dong POC: Close Coordination with Other PetroVietnam Companies to Achieve Bien Dong 1 Project Key Milestones

Since its establishment over two years ago by Decision 066/QD-DKVN of PetroVietnam’s Board of Management, Bien Dong Petroleum Operating Company (Bien Dong POC) has been expeditiously performing the important tasks assigned by PetroVietnam to continue the Bien Dong 1 development project for early production of natural gas and condensate from Hai Thach field and Moc Tinh field offshore S.R. Vietnam.

 

The Bien Dong 1 Project covers engineering, procurement, onshore construction and offshore installation of a complex of offshore facilities including Moc Tinh 1 Wellhead Platform (WHP-MT1), Hai Thach 1 Wellhead Platform (WHP-HT1), and Production and Quarters Platform at Hai Thach field (PQP-HT), together with infield pipelines, export gas pipelines and submarine cables. Once completed, these will be the largest platforms in Vietnam, especially the PQP having oversized structure and complex process systems, in the past built solely by overseas contractors. In addition, given the very complicated reservoir conditions of Moc Tinh and Hai Thach fields (high temperature, high pressure and water depth of 140 meters), the production platforms designed for those two fields require distinctively high technology as compared to other fields in Vietnam.

 

With the total weight of approximately 13,000 tons, the WHP-MT1 is the largest wellhead platform fabricated in Vietnam at the present. Construction activities were started in June 2010. Despite the various challenges and difficulties of the fast track project, the WHP-MT1 platform was completed on schedule at Vietsovpetro fabrication yard after over 14 months, a very short timeline for building a platform of this size. From the late days of August to early September, all major items of WHP-MT1 platform were successfully loaded out for sailaway to offshore location. This initial achievement is a result of close working and joint efforts by Bien Dong POC and other contractors who are PetroVietnam subsidiaries, such as Vietsovpetro, PVC-MS and PTSC.

 

Despite unfavourable weather in late September, when two typhoons raged over locations nearby the WHP-MT1 installation area, with extreme efforts to get the platform installed on schedule by all staff of BDPOC and related contractors, under the direction of the BDPOC Management, the offshore installation of WHP-MT1 was finally completed safely on October 7, 2011.

 

The on schedule and safe completion of the WHP-MT1 demonstrates the growing capability of Vietnamese contractors, the close co-ordination between the parties in the Bien Dong 1 project and the decisive role in project management by BDPOC. This success reaffirms the determination to secure the success of the Bien Dong 1 project and bring this strategic project of PetroVietnam into operation and production.

 

Another important thing for commendation is that all the contractors have fully complied with project safety requirements, even though the significant resources of approximately 1,000 workers and engineers were mobilised during peak periods and stressful working conditions, with 3 shifts per day, continued for a long period. To date, the project has achieved more than 4 million man-hours without lost time injury.

 

With its significant scale and importance to the national economy, defence and security, the successful completion of this first platform marks a key milestone of the project to achieve the target of extracting the first stream of gas in late 2012, contributing to national energy security.