Fugro provides integrity monitoring system for Berkut oil platform

GLASGOW -- Fugro delivered a bespoke structural monitoring system for Exxon Neftegas Ltd., as operator for, and on behalf of, the Sakhalin-1 Consortium, to monitor the structural integrity of its Berkut oil platform in the Arkutun Dagi field.

Located on the northeast coast of Sakhalin island in the Russian far east, the Berkut oil platform is one of the world’s largest floatover platforms and is designed so that the topsides are isolated from the base using friction pendulum bearings (FPB). It faces challenges from the sub-arctic environment that include 18-meter waves, 2-meter ice floes and temperatures ranging from -44ºC to +32ºC.

Fugro was commissioned to provide an integrated system to monitor both the seismic response of the platform and the performance of the FPBs. The bespoke solution also had to satisfy the Russian GOST and GOST-ex certification requirements and withstand the extreme environmental conditions.

Fugro configured the bespoke environmental and explosion protection equipment at its Glasgow offices using a set of proven sensing and data acquisition equipment. The flexibility of Fugro’s SIMS data acquisition software package enabled engineers to include additional functions requested by the client during the system build.

The factory acceptance test (FAT) was witnessed by WorleyParsons, the lead contractor for the project, before the equipment was shipped to the oil platform for installation.