Mechanical outfitting contract for Statfjord B

By Trude Meland, Norwegian Petroleum Museum

The Aker group had lost the contract to fabricate the steel topside for Statfjord B, but was still a contender for other work on the platform. Mechanical outfitting in the shafts of the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) was the next large job to be awarded.

— Electricians check cabling / equipment on Statfjord B at Rosenberg. Photo: Unknown/Norwegian Petroleum Museum

This contract had been put out to tender, with just two companies invited to submit bids – Kværner subsidiary Moss Rosenberg Verft (MRV) and Aker’s Aker Norsco Consulting arm in Tananger outside Stavanger.

Once again, the MRV bid turned out to be lower than the one submitted by Aker. However, the latter was given an opportunity to negotiate with Mobil on the price.

Intensive discussions were held, and Aker reduced its bid considerably – to such an extent, in fact, that the group would have suffered a relatively large loss if it had actually won the contract. This was seen as necessary to safeguard jobs.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Nerheim, Gunnar ; I vekst og forandring. Rosenberg Verft 100 år. 1896–1996 . Stavanger 1995 p 371.

But MRV was still the cheapest, and secured the job of fabricating and installing mechanical equipment in the two drilling shafts, the riser shaft and the utility shaft.

Part of the technical design would be done by the engineering management contractor (EMC), but the bulk was to be carried out by MRV’s Rosenberg yard in Stavanger. GBS-builder Norwegian Contractors (NC) was responsible for mechanical outfitting in the structure’s cells.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Kostnadsanalysen norsk kontinentalsokkel: Part 2, Development projects on the Norwegian continental shelf. Report from the management group appointed by royal decree of 16 March 1979. Oslo 1980, p 233.

The assessment of the two bidders was based on their technical solutions and implementation plans as well as price. At operator Mobil’s initiative, the contract assumed that Kværner would sub-contract part of the work to other companies on competitive terms.

That generated work for companies nationwide. Verdal, Stord and Haugesund were key locations in that context, since fabricators in these communities had both capacity and a high level of technical expertise.