EnerMech, and its alliance partner Offshore Technical Services (OTS), have been instrumental in helping fast track the first phase of a major project to import liquified natural gas (LNG) to Germany as the country races to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.
The high priority project at the Elbehafen LNG Import Terminal at the port of Brunsbüttel near Hamburg will bring greater energy security to the country and help alleviate the energy crisis in Europe. It is being fast-tracked as a solution to import large amounts of LNG to a country which had no direct access to the LNG market.
EnerMech OTS was awarded the contract by Worley for the provision of pre-commissioning, commissioning execution, start-up support and specialist services. It included flange management, N2 leak testing, boroscopic inspection for pipeline cleanliness and strength testing of the newly built temporary oil pipeline.
The requirement was for this phase to be completed within a timescale that was “as short as possible” and EnerMech’s extensive experience in handling fast-tracked projects worldwide ensured that the phase was completed with a 100% safety record.
A full commissioning team at Elbehafen will take the project from the construction mechanical completion stage through to operations handover, delivering enhanced continuity of planning execution, interface reduction and project delivery.
Worley, a key client of EnerMech, will deliver several projects for the LNG import terminals in Germany supported by the EnerMech / OTS alliance. Formed in 2021, this alliance supports the execution of EnerMech’s large capital projects around the globe.
Phase one involved the construction of necessary technical infrastructure at an existing jetty at the port of Brunsbüttel to accommodate a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) commissioned by German multinational energy company RWE on behalf of the country’s government. Work on a dedicated new LNG import jetty is also proposed and expected to begin late 2023/early2024.
“Work on the first phase of this project has been a huge success which has already seen first gas come to site,” said Christian Brown, chief executive officer for EnerMech. “Fast-tracking a project requires the adequate planning and detailed execution to avoid problems, regardless of the reduced timescales involved.
“Adding to our fast-tracking capabilities, we brought our expertise in servicing the LNG industry at more than 20 facilities around the world to this campaign.
“As a result, the client praised the team for their technical knowledge but also for their ethos and approach to the project, saying we brought agility to Elbehafen, working under extraordinary time scales with a highly accelerated pace that was defined by a political requirement to get gas into the German energy system.
Hoegh Gannet, which will operate from the port, is one of two floating LNG tankers commissioned by RWE. It can take on up to 170,000 cubic meters of LNG from additional delivery tankers in a single unloading, converting it into a gaseous state which can then be fed into the national gas grid.
Eric Farrell, Head of Commissioning at EnerMech, who led the project said: “Teamwork is essential to ensure projects at an accelerated pace are delivered safely with communication, cooperation and coordination being the backbone of safe project delivery.
“The team’s fast-paced approach brought collaboration and early engagement to the fore and included coordination of contractors, sub-contractors and vendors. As a result, we safely completed this phase with 15,000 lost time incident free hours accrued to date.
“The team championed a trust-based relationship with the client, saving management time and schedule time which enhanced the delivery of our technical services and achieved a common purpose and first gas.”
