Offshore Alaska: Gas aus dem Meer

A German company is starting a spectacular project in South Texas. A unique construction. A job for true professionals. Engineers are the ones who have the most work... but we are the ones who have the most fun. Hey! 3,000 tons of steel: the first German gas production platform in distant Alaska. The strong current in Cook Inlet will certainly be interesting. Here we have the second highest tidal current in the world. An incredible journey of 5000 nautical miles. We have normal ocean tugs, and this is basically the end of the food chain. 22 kilometers of maritime oil pipeline. When you drill a hole like that, you never know what you'll find.

A pipelayer built specifically for this job. The hammer as it stands here now weighs 112 tons. You will hear it and you will see it. And one of the largest crane ships in the world. The tower itself is taller than the cranes. If we sit down, the conductor will interrupt us and then we will have invested $50 million. Rockport, a quiet fishing town in South Texas. Life goes by quietly in the community of 10,000 inhabitants. Just a few miles south, the world looks completely different. Huge oil and gas production facilities for the whole world are being built on the site of the State Service Company.

John Sullivan has been SSCI's chief engineer for 15 years. His latest project is something special. I have never built one like this in my life, it is a unique construction and I have been involved in more than 100 projects, in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world. From individual parts manufactured specifically for this project, a production platform for the German raw materials company "Deutsche Öl und Gas" will be created. Location of the steel giant: Alaska. Promote natural gas. The main tube of the sinuous tower, the so-called monopod, was prefabricated in Korea and delivered by ship. The individual components are now welded together.

The eight support legs of the monopod are intended to ensure stability on the seabed in the current sea off Alaska. The special thing here is the size. The main tube has a diameter of 5 meters 50 and the walls are a good 8 centimeters thick. This is very big and very heavy. Most of the casing pipes we build here have a diameter of 1 meter 20, here it is 5 meters 50. This means we have to deal with a much larger amount of iron. A good 5,000 kilometers as the crow flies to the north: Anchorage, Alaska's only major city. Here in Cook Inlet, named after its discoverer James Cook, the production platform will subsequently produce natural gas from the seabed.

The gas processing plant will be located on the Nikiski pier. From here the pipeline is led through the rock to the sea. Anyone who buys property in Alaska and uses it industrially must designate an area of ​​the same size elsewhere as a nature reserve. 400 people are working on creating the infrastructure. Kenny Billings coordinates all work on site. As you can see, we are currently preparing horizontal drilling. This will go from here to the sea. A platform with a winch will drag the casing and then the three 300-meter-long pipe runs from the water through the rock. From there the pipe is laid to the sinuous tower.

But there is still a long way to go until then. The monopod is still in Texas. For transport to Alaska, the 50-meter-high tower must be fully built. Arm-thick steel cables placed on several special cranes must lift the 1,200-ton colossus upright. Tom Engleman is leading the effort. Last team meeting before the uprising. We have already erected the tower here to speed up work off the coast of Alaska. Seattle, the largest city in the northwest of the United States, right on the border with Canada. Its landmark is the impressive observation tower, the Space Needle. The Port of Seattle is an important commercial center, especially to Alaska.

This strange vessel is a pipelayer, a special construction that will place the pipe on the seabed. The entire operation is carried out by American and German companies under German direction. Yes, that is definitely one of the most important assets we have here in the project, because we use it to lay the pipeline, 15 mines from the monopod to the ground station, the gas processing station does not have its own station.” drive and must be maneuvered out of the dock by tugboats. From Seattle we now embark on the 1,700 nautical mile journey to Cook Inlet in Alaska. Three giant cranes are used on a large construction site in Texas.

The load that must be moved is around 600 tons. We place the main platform on the production platform. 300 ton cranes put it on top and then everything is connected in one piece. Welding is currently being done in about 60 locations. A few days later a new challenge arises. Now we are working on the 3 meter and 50 meter wide downpipe, which must be inserted into the main pipe, at a height of almost 50 meters! One of our huge special cranes is used again. We lift the tube horizontally, then we turn it vertically and insert it into the monopod with a single hook.

Last finishing touches. Nothing can be improved in this pipeline later. The "Spartan" is an oil platform with a glorious history. The valuable raw material was found in Cook Inlet on behalf of Deutsche Öl und Gas. Now they are positioning it for a special task: with the help of a winch, the pipe is dragged through the rock to the sea. This boat is supposed to lift the monopod into the water. With more than 17,000 horsepower, the "Svenja," one of the largest heavy crane ships in the world, plies the rough seas off Anchorage. The strong current at Cock Inlet will certainly be interesting, especially the boat mooring which is not something that happens every day.

The current is relatively strong and changes, so there is an ebb current and a flood current with changing directions. Under normal circumstances, a job like this is pretty routine for a German shipping company ship. The challenge here is anchoring. This inlet has one of the strongest currents in the world, with flow speeds of up to 10 knots. You can imagine it like this: now anchors specially developed for this surface and this work are placed and finally we remove the cable from the winch with the help of tugboats. To keep this huge ship securely in place, several tugboats deploy long anchor cables;

That's what sailors call steel cables the thickness of an arm. Once the anchors are set, they are tensioned using winches at head height. The winches are controlled from the bridge; The crews are nervous. In good conditions it would take 1 hour, but this is Ensenada del Gallo. We have the second largest tidal current in the world here and now the tide is coming. However, tugboats with anchor cables swarm in all directions. In total 10 anchors will be used to stabilize the “Svenja”. Each buoy marks the position of an anchor. The crane ship's winches finally tighten the cables: five in the bow and five in the stern.

This is the only way to prevent the boat from tilting dangerously when lifting the monopod. When installing the platform, it is very important that the boat stays exactly in position. In Texas, complicated insertion of the downpipe into the monopod is the order of the day. Tom Engleman is the so-called "rigger." He is responsible for all the material that is moved on the large construction site. The narrower downspout is inserted into the tower from above for added stability. Engineers are the ones who have the most work... but we are the ones who have the most fun. He is the best quantity surveyor I have ever worked with.

He has a great knowledge of cranes and their limitations. He sees more than the others. He keeps us out of trouble. Still, there could be problems today. The wind plays an important role. We have to be very careful not to touch the monopod with our load. The tension can also be felt in Juan. We have to try it now. The wind is expected to increase further in the afternoon. The 80-ton tube could not be inserted into the monopod while lying down; It has too much weight and would therefore create too much friction. Three workers are taken to a height of 50 meters with the basket to place the floating tube.

But suddenly the wind gets stronger. Finally, the crane operator manages to maneuver the basket close enough to the top of the tower. Things like that happen up there. The wind twisted the rope. But the men were safe. We are a team here. Many have been working together here for 15 or 20 years. We are kind of a small family. The kilometer-long casing of the gas pipeline is laid from the mainland at the Deutsche Öl und Gas facility in Alaska. At the foot of the slope it emerges underwater. Later, from here about 20 kilometers of pipeline will be added. Les Allen is the engineer responsible for this.

When you drill a hole like that, you never know what you'll find. You can do geotechnical studies, but you won't know for sure until you drill. A thick steel cable passes through the casing tube; The pipe itself will then be hung and passed through the casing tube. The individual pieces of pipe are welded together to transport as long a piece as possible through the guide in the rock in a single operation. Here we only had about 300 meters of space to store the pipes. The casing and pipeline are almost a kilometer long. Once the first part is finished, we have to solder the second part and finally the third.

The pipe only works smoothly if everything is balanced to the centimeter. He gives the excavator drivers the proper order. Only number 1! Maik, did you understand? Should I start? Yes. I will check it right away to make sure nothing is stuck and everything is running smoothly. Les has been in the pipe fitting business since he was 16 years old. I have worked abroad in Russia, Malaysia, Sudan, Africa, Mexico, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Offshore, the rig waits to pass the casing pipe through the hole in the rock. He gives final instructions to the excavator drivers. You receive radio confirmation from the crew on the platform that you can begin.

The winds are pulling. One last check. Let it roll! The casing tube begins to move. After a few short tugs, it works without a problem. Hour after hour, a kilometer in total. Finally, only the last end sticks out of the ground. The pipeline itself will be introduced there later. In Texas, the 1,200-tonne monopod will be loaded onto a huge special raft, the so-called barge. Now we have the transporters ready to go and we are exiting the barge under the tower. We placed wooden beams on the two carriers, then used them to lift the monopod and leave.

We have to constantly balance the barge. Everything will be fine. 48 wheels per transporter are supposed to transport the 50 meter tall monster. To compensate, solid wood beams are placed. The first transporter slowly passes under the winding tower. Millimeter work. Any inaccuracy could be disastrous. Wait a minute! Arrest! Arrest! The two conveyors are controlled into position with centimeter precision using a remote control. I don't want to drive all the way back. If you keep pushing it, we'll lose control. At some point, surveyor Tom is satisfied. Finally, the monster is bound with simple steel chains. The steel colossus slowly travels its 50 meter long route.

But after only 3 meters it was over. You forgot to remove a support platform and it still needs to be welded. It would have been in the way during subsequent transport and could have caused an accident. The tower is placed on these steel beams and is later welded into place. Only then will it be able to survive the long journey across the rough Pacific and even hurricanes. The transport of 1,200 tons can continue. To keep the tower balanced during loading, four large pumps work on the barge. The barge would sink due to the enormous weight. So we pump the water and the buoyancy lifts them up.

The more weight you put on it, the more water has to come out. The monopod is now on the barge. But there is still more than half of the way ahead. The last meters. In Alaska, decisive action awaits senior engineers Lee Taylor and Jakob Christiansen. The guide pillar for the winding tower, the so-called King Pile, must be installed. Team speech. Now follow the two crucial steps: on the one hand, installing the king pilot and, on the other, attaching the monopod. Both Svenja cranes are used for the King Pile. At the moment preparations are still being made and later everything will be taken out into the water in one piece.

The King Pile is almost 55 meters long and weighs 73 tons. This is undoubtedly one of the great milestones. When this operation is over, many people will be happy. The first delicate task for the huge heavy cranes. I'm looking forward to it. The King Pile has atemporary barrier that marks the distance to the well that is at the bottom of the sea and is still sealed. Because, when the monopod later slides along this guide tube, it must land exactly on top of the drilled hole. Meanwhile, special measuring devices have been placed at various points on the King Pile to reflect the exact position.

Because divers can only be used to a limited extent. Look at the current. It is so strong that we have to leave the position standing. I don't know if anyone has done anything like that before. In any case I haven't seen it anywhere. The direction of the current changes every six hours; Before that there was a pause of almost half an hour. Divers can only enter the water during this short period of time. They are available in shifts 24 hours a day. When the man finally returns upstairs, he has good news. The King Pile hit its intended target.

In Texas, the production platform is loaded onto a special raft. For this, buckets of lubricating oil are used. The 600-tonne platform is dragged onto the barge on two skids. High-powered winches with a dozen steel cables now have to drag the colossus 30 meters. The ropes are tight. Rigger Tom makes sure all winches run smoothly. If a rope breaks, it becomes a deadly threat to workers. The steel monster has begun to move. The last meters on dry land. The winches are now pulling the deck toward the barge, inch by inch. The pumps run at full speed again and ensure that the ground is exactly level.

Finally, the 600-ton colossus is in place. We know each other and we know what to expect. Things turn out well without anyone having to ask too much. Everyone knows what to do. People read my thoughts, I read theirs. Running with us. In the Svenja, in Cook Inlet, Alaska, a very special tool is used: the more than 17 meter long hydraulic hammer will drive the King Pile into the seabed (forever). The hammer as it stands here now weighs 112 tons. We have a 45 ton ram that we lift hydraulically and also accelerate on the way down to transfer the energy to the pile.

Tibor Grossmann is the specialist who handles the hammer. Before each use, he checks the inside of his working instrument. We have to make sure that when we reach full power, the seat is tight to the post. The hammer is driven from its own engine room. We can supply the hammer with a maximum of 1600 liters per minute at a maximum pressure of 280 bar. For comparison: a car tire is inflated with an air pressure of about 2 bars. With the help of one of the cranes, the hammer is placed on the post. After less than 30 minutes, the yellow giant with the official name MHU-800 sits on the guide tube of the monopod.

You will hear it and you will see it. Tibor himself does not have a direct view of the hammer. He controls what happens using his instruments and a camera. We are here in the hammer operating cabin, where we can control the lifting height of the hammer and the oil flow to finally apply the power to the pile. 500 hits later, the King Pile lies seven meters deep at the bottom of the sea. It's always the same: the pole has to be on the ground. On dry land, the pipe itself must be laid through the already installed casing pipe.

Now we are incorporating the first part of the pipeline. This will snake through the guide to the exit point. The first piece has already been inserted into the guide tube and the winch drags it meter by meter towards Cook Inlet. A nylon rope is glued to the outer layer. This allows the ground and other instruments to be subsequently passed through the enclosure tube. In Texas the signs point to the exit. The 50 meter high monopod is transported in a vertical position for easy installation at sea. So that in the event of a storm it cannot overturn, it is welded to the barge.

We welded the tower to the barge in many places and also attached four inclined support struts. They are welded to the top of the monopod and the bottom of the barge to stabilize the tower at sea. The “Ocean Wave” will tow the barge. It is one of the strongest tugs in the United States. There are different types of tugboats. On the one hand, there are the small escort and harbor tugs, then the medium-sized ones with maritime approval, and this is basically the end of the food chain. To keep the facility on schedule, pipeline crews in Alaska are working around the clock.

There was a longer stop because the tube did not enter the guide cleanly. Chief Operating Officer Les Allen wants to 100% ensure the pipeline passes smoothly. When passing the pipe through the casing tube, it is important that there are no interruptions. Otherwise you risk getting the tube stuck in the hole. And suddenly everything happens very quickly. The time of waiting and careful balancing was worth it. The first section of the pipe runs smoothly towards the casing tube. Water was passed through the pipe from the coast to check the tightness of the welds. Now it comes out through the final nozzle.

We only stop the action when we need to solder in the next section. But that's not so bad because we have a guide tube. However, we have to complete the pipeline as quickly as possible and that is why we work day and night. The first piece of pipe is held in place by seemingly primitive means. The other parts should pass just as smoothly through the rock. Handling steel pipes hundreds of meters long is not child's play. Although they have some flexibility, they could still break. Finally the next section is in the correct position and can be welded to the front tube.

The entire Deutsche Öl und Gas production system now begins its 6,600 nautical mile journey from Texas to Alaska. Port tugboats maneuver the huge raft through the narrow exit. In the open sea, the “Ocean Wave” is already waiting for great action. That's the great thing about this job: it's never the same. Each challenge is followed by the next. Every trip is different. We expect difficult weather conditions. Hurricane season is almost here and a severe low pressure area is currently forming south of Mexico, which we will be monitoring closely. We'll head straight for him and keep a close eye on him.

And then there is the passage through the Panama Canal, which also presents some challenges. The last section is being welded to the kilometer-long pipe that will be laid from the ground. Even during the last 300 meters, the tube runs without interruption until the guide in the rock. Panama. The small Central American country with less than 4 million inhabitants is famous for a geographical peculiarity: this is the narrowest point of the American continent and the 82-kilometer-long Panama Canal was built here. It ends in the capital Panama City. About 15,000 ships pass through the canal every year. The Deutsche Öl und Gas plant also has to go through this bottleneck.

The tug does not pull the barge through the lock system under its own power, but rather small locomotives take over the transport. The tugboat crew is on break. The barge was built specifically for this use. The locks are 33 meters wide, our barge is 32 meters wide. This is the maximum width to cross the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal passes through several artificially dammed lakes that act as buffer storage. Depending on the size and load of the ships, traversing the entire canal can cost several hundred thousand dollars. Visitors crowd onto the observation platforms of the locks. For locals, however, passing giants are a part of everyday life.

The destination of the two-day trip across the canal is the “Bridge of the Americas,” with a clear height of about 60 meters, little more than a monopod and a barge. From there it flows into the Pacific Ocean. The Alaska pipelayer will deposit 20 kilometers of pipe on the sea floor, in hundreds of individual pieces. Kenny Billings is the responsible project manager. We have a total of 16 miles of pipeline from the monopod to the onshore gas processing plant. This is the production line for the gas we produce. But there is still a long way to go until then. This floating system was specially built to connect the pipes in a continuous line and at the same time lay them on the seabed.

Each tube is 12 meters long. After unloading, it is rolled to the other side, where the individual tube pieces are welded and finally tested. Why is welding such a critical part of this project? Because you can't repeat this welding process. Welders are aware of their responsibility. And they are proud. I have been welding for 37 years and I would not change this job for anything. I live it, love it and die for it. After a long trip along the Pacific coast without incident, the barge with the conveyor system stops in Seattle. This is where the final work of the monopod is done.

There are still 1,700 nautical miles to the destination off the coast of Alaska. And another quick stop. Homer is the name of a small town at the entrance to Cook Inlet. Only in the harbor bay is the current calm. A good place to wait. When the message arrives that the installation can begin, the gas production system begins its final stage. In Cook Inlet, the crane ship “Svenja” awaits its most difficult task: first bringing the 50-meter-high sinuous tower to the deck and then placing it on the seabed. As soon as the current changes and calms down for a short time, we push the barge towards us.

She will then dock here in this area. Two hours later, the crane ship and barge form a unit firmly moored together. On the deck of the "Svenja" the captain called the people to an important meeting. The first part of the monopod lift is approaching. Everything is calculated precisely, but with a weight of approximately 1,200 tons for the tower alone, there is always a residual risk. We have prepared the platform to be able to lift the monopod up to here. Then we'll do some more preparations before sinking her in Cook Inlet. Before the colossus can be lifted, it must first be separated from the barge.

Before the long trip from Texas to Alaska, the hull was welded to the deck of the special raft in dozens of places. Then the time has come: the steel giant takes off. Now the ship's crew is in charge. Two people accompany the slow overpass. It is now half a meter above the railing. The captain coordinates the action from the bridge and transmits the relevant information to the two crane operators. In the next step, crane 1 sets the pace. We both use cranes. We have placed a special suspension device on them because the special thing here is that the load is greater than the cranes themselves.

Last stop of the monopod before anchoring it to the seabed. The pipelayer is now ready to introduce the first section of the 20 kilometer long pipeline into the water. A gigantic task. It's a lot of work to coordinate everything here. The depth of the water must be taken into account, but also the lighting conditions, the assembly and descent into the water must be organized as well as the connection to dry land. Everything has to fit. Finally, the first section of pipe enters the water from the sea side. From now on, the same procedure will be followed for a few weeks: tube by tube, meter by meter, in total about 2,000 times.

In reality, there is only great adversity. The sea enters here with enormous force and with differences in level of up to three meters. A strong current could catch us at the stern, which could destroy our pipeline or the barrier. In this case we have to interrupt. Farther away, in Cook Inlet, the most difficult part of the operation is about to begin. Oliver Arnold is the chief engineer on the German side. Today we have an installation step ahead of us in which we put the monopod into the water and here we have the problem that we already have a hole, that is, the so-called conductor comes out of the ground, from which the natural gas will then come out.

It is pumped and we have to place 1200 tons with a tolerance of 5 to 10 centimeters above the conductor; Otherwise, if we sit on it, the conductor will break and then we will have lost 50 million dollars, that is, tearing it off from the conductor. And, of course, we want to avoid it. The final work on the monopod is carried out on board the Svenja. Its eight supporting legs are equipped, so to speak, with sturdy shoes. The platform is located directly on the seabed. To stabilize them against storms we need these foundation plates. The fully configured tower will later be installed underwater without visibility.

That is why various electronic devices are installed outside. All this wiring is extremely important because it is the only way we can control the installation. In approximately one hour we will be able to communicate with the platform and it will be able to tell us where it is. The final checks before placing the monopod at its destination on the sea floor. If we then put the monopod in the water, then we have two important points that we have to reach, which is right behind us, which is basically a guide,where we have the so-called royal pile, that is, our baton that we have in front of us.

A few days ago we had to gather ourselves in order to be able to cross the King Pile with the lead and then basically slide down the King Pile. The second point that the huge tower must reach is even more critical. Where we are now will be on the bottom of the sea and the drilling on the bottom of the sea is already finished, the tube is already coming out, the conductor tube and then it will be screwed onto the monopod right here at this point. That means: If we...Then we place the monopod, then we have the guide with the king pile and on the other side we have to align the monopod so that it hits this hole exactly above the driver.

What looks like a big kid's toy is actually a model Lee built to simulate the operation before he began. Now there is only one factor of uncertainty. If we want to put the monopod in the water, we have to capture the so-called calm tide, that is, exactly the change between ebb and flow or between high and low tide, where in principle we barely have any current in the water. And we have the next low tide exactly 6 hours later, which means we will plunge into the night. At night everything is ready for decisive action. But despite the weak tide, nature has something against it.

Nowadays it is not the case that the early bird gets help from the worm. Unfortunately today we have a swell due to the tides that causes the entire boat to list slightly. If we lift the 1200 tons and lift it over the edge of the board, then of course we still have a big working lever. And that's why it's too dangerous for us to do this now. The next tide change the next morning. This time it should work. Excited waiting for the big moment. I would say there is some nervousness and tension, but we planned everything well.

Very tense, of course, so there are a lot of things going through your head that you're still thinking about, that you can do better, even if you've forgotten something, but... we've gone through all the checklists. We did a good preparation and now we hope, of course, that everything works out. And that nature does not ruin our plans. Arni Paul Amit is the first officer and gives the order, if he has the captain's approval. We have basically completed the first standard part of the operation. We have lifted the monopod and rotated it over the side of the board with both cranes, as you can see now.

Now comes the critical part of the operation: you can see that the boat is on its side, because the moment we put the monopod in the water, it has buoyancy and then the boat will right itself again. In fact, everything is going according to plan. The tower hits its guide tube and slides safely into the water. Now the only thing missing is the production platform. After months of construction, the ground infrastructure is practically complete. The landing end of the pipe is connected here to this part. And from here the raw gas passes to the processing plant, where it is processed accordingly.

Deutsche Öl und Gas helps ensure energy production in Alaska for several years. This is the exit gas pipeline, from where the gas is sold. All gas is used in this area, nowhere else only goes to Alaska. The pipelayer has almost reached the shore. Here the connection piece to the processing plant is underwater. 20 kilometers of pipelines have been laid here. Now the last tube leaves the ship. The pipeline is already laid. Everything lasted six weeks. It is exactly where it should be: a milestone for everyone involved. Outside the Svenja, preparations are underway for the upper deck elevator.

Before the actual production platform can be installed, an intermediate platform is attached to the monopod. Cranes are now needed for a crucial last stretch of pipeline. This tube is the so-called spoo pice, basically the accessory used to connect the tube to the monopod. With the spool, which the divers then screw underwater, the last gap in the 20 kilometer long pipe is closed. Finally comes the turn of the mass production platform. It is already equipped with all the equipment. That was another strict thing with very tight tolerances. We had to be very careful. We knew that, given the difficult conditions here, all this would not be a cakewalk.

I have installed many conveyor platforms, but this was by far the most challenging. The fact that he took it with him for nine months, ran with it, and developed solutions that now work is incredibly fantastic. It wasn't an easy birth, but the baby came out perfectly. They did a fantastic job and no one was hurt. Production is underway. The most populated part of Alaska, the south, now receives gas from Cock Inlet.