Record-Breaking Lift Completes the Johan Sverdrup Field

Three days – that’s what it took to lift four of the last pieces in the Johan Sverdrup puzzle into place – the 2 final platform topsides, bridge & flare stack. The processing platform lift was the heaviest lift ever performed offshore.

The two final platform topsides were installed using the heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit’s single lift technology. The processing platform lift – nearly 26,000 T – set a new lifting record offshore, and was carried out on Tuesday morning in only four hours with a clearance of just 25 m from the rest of the field centre. The lift of the utility and living quarters topside, 18,000 T, was completed early Friday morning in just 3.5 hrs. From the start of the lifting operation of the processing platform on Tuesday morning until living quarters topsides had been lifted into place on Friday it took less than 72 hrs.

Ståle Hanssen, responsible for engineering, installation and commissioning of project said,“We have completed the heaviest lift ever performed offshore. Over the course of just three days, we have lifted almost 47,000 tonnes into place. And the whole process was completed safely and efficiently, without harm to people or the environment.