OREANDA-NEWS. An innovative technique that safely removes caissons from platforms has earned BG Group’s Europe E&P team the "Innovation in Safety" prize at the Oil & Gas UK Industry Safety Awards.

BG Group worked with service provider Amec Foster Wheeler to deliver this industry first when replacing a 37-tonne caisson on BG Group’s Lomond platform in the Central North Sea. Caissons are open-ended steel tubes hanging from every platform’s cellar deck and are used to house pumps that draw seawater onto the platform for use in cooling or discharging waste water back into the sea. Caissons represent a major asset integrity threat to the Region’s ageing offshore platforms because they are prone to corrosion so operators are increasingly required to replace them before they become a safety risk. But at 60m in length and weighing upwards of 30 tonnes, removing caissons is a complex job that can take months.     

Together, the Lomond project team developed a new, foam-based technique to safely remove the caisson in two-metre parts. What made this particular caisson removal even more impressive was that the team achieved it in a record seven weeks, the fastest caisson removal in the North Sea. More traditional methods would have taken 22 weeks. The process holds promise for the future, as BG Group plans to use this technology for the removal of similar caissons on other North Sea assets.

The annual Oil and Gas UK Safety Awards recognises and honours the companies and individuals who embody the spirit of safety and innovation across the sector. This award was one of just six presented. Paul Jackson, Asset Manager for UK Operate, collected the award on behalf of the many people onshore and offshore on Lomond who contributed to this excellent piece of work.

Ernst den Hartigh, managing director, Europe E&P said: “This is excellent recognition for the hard work of everyone who has worked on Lomond to improve structural integrity and demonstrates the power of collaboration with our contract companies.”

BG Europe E&P is currently in the second half of a major campaign to upgrade its Everest and Lomond facilities. Significant improvements have already been completed on Lomond and a further two month shutdown on Everest this summer will help further.