StatoilHydro prepares for Ormen Lange in Sognefjorden
Letting go massive loads of rocks Practicing in calm waters with precision down to 1 millimeter.

Leikanger : Rocks in Ten thousands of tons are dumped in the fjord between Fresvik and Kaupanger-half island. This is a part of StatoilHydro’s prepare for producing oil and gas in the large Ormen Lange section. The 160m long loading vessel “Nordnes”, (former “Rocknes), arrived Sognefjorden at Sunday evening. The vessel is loaded with rocks, which is to be picked up from the storage on long transportation bands and to be dumped into the sea.

Practicing job

The purpose of the job is to make a stabile and safe platform in the quick steep of the terrain at the bottom of the fjord from Kaupanger-halvoeya and down to 940m of depth on the bottom of the midfjord.
The effort is a test as part of a practicing-test for the procedures that is suppose to set the standard for these kind of jobs in the sokkel (Norwegian Oil Section in North Sea areas)
This is all a practicing job, says Kitty Eide, communication officer for the project.
She tells that the production in Ormen Lange is the deepest ever in Norway. The field is planned extension with underwater installation on the seabed and nothing visible on the surface.

Identical

Inside Sognefjorden where the main fjord ends the company will get the option to have a full practice through the entire operation of this difficult task. We are fulfilling this operation under circumstances as alike as possible to those out in the field says Kitty Eide, and confirms that it is a speak of enormous loads of rock that are to be dumped to the seabed in the fjord.

Why Sognefjorden ?

Because the surroundings here are calm and the circumstances at the seabed is approximately the same regarding depths and conditions, says the communication officer. Reliable Likely there is a steep seabed that will be a challenge at Haltenbanken as well. These surroundings is a big challenge for the whole project, it is of great importance that the foundation will be 100% stabile and reliable. - we are talking about precision down to 1 millimeter, says Kitty Eide. The hi technology equipment on the seabed is going to provide gas and oil in unbelievable loads brought from the structures in the Norwegian sokkel. Sogn Avis (paper) have received information about Nordnes and that the vessel will be present in at the position for the testsite twice this week.

24.000 tons

The vessel is clearly visible from Leikanger and Fresvik in the dark of the night. Onboard lives 49 persons. The plan for “Nordnes” was to depart for Sloevaag and load another 24.000 tons with rock. Then it should be back in Sognefjorden for a new period and dumping rocks mid fjord before weekend again.