Marine Masters to Handle Offshore Wellhead Platform Installation in India

Marine Masters, the Netherlands-based salvage, transport, installation, and decommissioning player, has been selected to oversee the installation works for two offshore wellhead platforms in the Gulf of Kutch, India for SunPetro, the country’s second-largest private oil producer.

The Dutch contractor’s scope of work includes detailed preparation for lifting and mooring activities, encompassing the lifting of two jackets and their respective topsides, upending and installation of piles, and setting up a dedicated platform for subsea and piling operations.

Given that each jacket weighs around 800 tons, Marine Masters emphasizes the project’s technical intricacies and the necessity for precise engineering execution. The project is being managed by main installation contractor ACE Pipeline and overseen by Consolidated Support Services (CSS).

Describing the greenfield Bhasker A and B platforms as a pivotal offshore installation project, the Dutch company highlights the development of robust jackets with integrated boat landings and topsides.

For this project, Marine Masters has chartered the Conquest MB1, a heavy-lift barge with a lifting capacity of approximately 1,400 tons and equipped with two mobile cranes capable of lifting 180 tons and 500 tons, respectively.

The deployment of the Conquest MB1 is aimed at ensuring the safe and efficient execution of all project phases. The tender for the transportation and installation of smart wellhead platforms in the Bhaskar-III field, Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, was disclosed last year.

Henk Smith, Co-founder and Partner at Marine Masters, expressed his excitement about supporting Sun Petro, ACE Pipeline, and CSS in this challenging project. The crane barge exemplifies the company’s commitment to leveraging advanced marine technology and operational expertise for complex offshore installations.

The Conquest MB1 is en route to Mumbai and is expected to reach the offshore location in the Gulf of Kutch by March 20, 2025, to commence installation work, scheduled for completion by May 15, 2025.

The Bhaskar-III field, located 50 kilometers west of Okha city in Gujarat, holds significant potential for commercial hydrocarbon production, which is expected to upgrade the basin’s status. The field covers an area of about 1,456 square kilometers.

SunPetro acquired the field under the DSF-III bid round with 100% participating interest in 2022, comprising multiple Tertiary and Mesozoic discoveries. The contract area is extensively covered by 2D and 3D seismic data, indicating promising prospects for the company.