The UAE’s National Petroleum Construction Company has built the nation’s largest offshore oil platform, weighing in at 32,000 metric tonnes.

The Umm Lulu Gas Treatment Platform (ULGTP) is one of five platforms fully manufactured by the NPCC at its fabrication yard in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi. This is part of an engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contract awarded by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to NPCC, in consortium with TechnipFMC, for the Umm Lulu Package 2 Full Field Development (Process Facilities).

The ULGTP will mainly handle gas including compression, dehydration and sweetening, and forms a key part of ADNOC’s Umm Lulu Field infrastructure. The field will have an oil production capacity of more than 100,000 barrels per day in 2020, supporting ADNOC’s strategy of increasing it production capacity from 3 to 5mn bpd by 2030.

ADNOC CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber said: “The completion of this key infrastructure asset marks another significant milestone for ADNOC as we drive oil production capacity towards 4mn barrels per day by end of 2020, delivering on our smart growth strategy and meeting increasing global demand for energy. In line with the guidance of the UAE’s wise leadership, this achievement also underpins ADNOC’s critical role in enabling in-country value creation and economic diversification.”

HE Dr. Mohamed Rashed Al Hameli, Chairman of NPCC, said: “The ULGTP project is the largest to date undertaken by NPCC and was led by a team of passionate Emirati nationals committed to achieving the nation’s vision to be one of the best countries in the world in exporting energy solutions. Building on our legacy of 46 years of operations in Abu Dhabi, and through our global engineering centres, we are pioneers in meeting the various requirements of the oil and gas sector in the UAE and the region. Our technological developments and digital transformation have brought a qualitative leap in the manufacturing sector. This achievement will further establish us as a partner of choice for energy majors globally.”

Eng. Ahmed Al Dhaheri, CEO of NPCC, said: “The success of the project is inspired by the vision of our leadership to promote local manufacturing capabilities. It also reflects our continuous efforts to strengthen our operational assets, and to remain agile, flexible and efficient in meeting the requirements of our clients. NPCC is a pioneer in our sector and we continue to maintain our market leadership through innovation and operational excellence. Today, Abu Dhabi is a leading exporter of EPC services and we are proud to be the ambassadors of this transformational change. We have a robust outlook for the future and are confident that with our team of qualified and skilled Emirati engineers and professionals we will drive a new era of growth.”

As consortium leader for the major Umm Lulu Field, NPCC is responsible for the detailed engineering, procurement, fabrication, offshore installation, commissioning and start-up of a large offshore super complex. The super complex includes an accommodation platform (ULAP), utilities platform (ULUP), water disposal platform (UMWDP), separation platform (ULSP), riser platform (ULRP) and the gas treatment platform (ULGTP) – all made in the UAE by NPCC. The total weight of the super complex is over 102,648 metric tonnes (MT).

Earlier, NPCC had commissioned eight platforms for Umm Lulu Package 1. The two phases mark an investment of over $2.5bn. The contract also includes the laying of over 2,555km of cable and 150 kilometres of pipeline by NPCC. Substantial in-country value of the total investment supports UAE companies that are partnering in the development of the full-field.

Nearly as tall as London’s Big Ben, the ULGTP measures 77.7 metres x 83.5 metres. It was built by a global team of experts including Emirati engineers and professionals. All raw materials were predominantly sourced from within the UAE. Emirates Steel was the major supplier of steel while the project was supported by over 35 specialised engineering studios and more than 500 suppliers.

The ULGTP will set sail to the Umm Lulu Field, following which NPCC will undertake commissioning work, including the installation of the fixed platform using the float-over method. NPCC’s manufacturing yard, which spans an area of over 1.3mn sqm, is the largest in the Middle East and can fabricate up to 100,000 MT of structural steel annually.