Brussels-headquartered contracting giant Besix has completed the design and construction of Bahrain Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminal in Muharraq Island, despite facing “excessive delays” on the scheme.
Besix’s scope of work included the design and construction of an LNG jetty on drilled and grouted pin piles, with a maximum length of 55m. They were located 5km offshore and at a seabed level of (-18m). Additionally, Besix worked on a 600m-long rubble mound offshore breakwater with concrete armour units for the project.
Terminal construction work began in November 2016, and the first permanent pile was completed by the end of May 2017. Permanent works were completed within a 14-month period, with three million man-hours without loss-time injury recorded for the project. Handover was carried out on 4 September, 2018.
Yasser Laroussi, resident manager for Besix’s Bahrain operation, said “many aspects of the project” were “quite challenging”, adding that this included “completing the offshore works in the open sea, [and] the specialised equipment and offshore teams required to complete the ultra-optimised design”.
He continued: “Unfortunately, we also had excessive delays due to bad weather. This, coupled with challenging logistics and the tight schedule, added additional pressure to the team, but we tackled those challenges successfully and completed all the contractual milestones on time.”
Bahrain LNG Import Terminal is a crucial aspect of the kingdom’s energy infrastructure programme, providing “a secure supply” of the gas to meet demand from industrial projects, and for functions such as power and water generation and enhanced oil recovery.
Source: Arabian Industry