- Type of project
- Design and engineering
- Location
- Aktau (Kazakhstan)
- Continent
- Asia
- Company
- Witteveen + Bos
- Client
- Agip KCO (consortium of western and Kazakh oil companies)
- Period
- 2004 - ongoing
- Contract value
- Euro 5 million
- Objective
To design manmade islands for oil and gas exploration
Project information
After almost 4 years Witteveen+Bos Kazakhstan expects to complete the design works for the so-called D Complex in the Caspian Sea by the end of this year. However, the design team in which Kazakh and Dutch engineers work jointly together, will not run out of work as the design for a num-ber of new manmade islands has been awarded to WBK. The civil designs for the islands EPC03, EPC02, Kalamkas, Aktote and Kairan will ask full dedication of the design team to meet the clients requirements.
Description of project
Both the D Complex as the new islands are designed by order of a consortium of Kazakh and western oil companies with the aim to explore the oil reservoirs present in the northern part of the Caspian Sea. Although the general concept for building islands in the Caspian Sea has crystallised in the course of the years, each new island has its own challenges. The limited water depth in combination with waves and down surge at the Aktote and Kairan location limits the accessibility of these locations for construction vessels. Therefore, a detailed construction plan is required to make construction feasible. Located in relatively deep water, accessibility is no issue at Kalamkas. However, the island’s height required in this water depth is just within limits for the preferred island perimeter of a vertical retaining wall. For future maintenance the wells of EPC02 and 03 have to be located within the reach of a drill rig mounted on a cantilever barge. Therefore the wells are placed close to the outer perimeter of the island which asks for a design providing full protection of the wells against ice loading and encroachment.
Whereas for previous islands offshore pipelines and umbilicals tied in on the island with S-curved lines placed inside rock embankments, new developments ask for J tubes and vertical risers. At one hand these vertical risers have to move freely to allow thermal expansion, at the other hand the ris-ers have to be well protected against the floating ice fields in the Caspian during winter time.
It is obvious that all these works will strengthen the co-operation between the Kazakh and Dutch design teams even further, which will have a significantly positive impact on the development of WBK’s offices in Kazakhstan to a full-grown engineering company and a professional employer for Kazakh staff.
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