Want to find out how to build an oil platform?

1. HOW TO BUILD
A PLATFORM
IN SIX STEPS
To mark the start-up of oil production from the
West Chirag platform in Azerbaijan, BP outlines
the six main steps involved in building such a
massive platform.
1
Long steel tubes are welded together at
a fabrication site to make a frame (the jacket).
This jacket framework provides the stability
to support the topsides. Once complete, the
jacket is maneuvered onto a barge
and towed out to the field.
2
The jacket is pushed off the barge,
positioned on the seabed, and
fastened in place using long
metal piles.
Highest safety standards
The entire construction work of West Chirag was
performed with full commitment to the highest
safety standards without a single day o from
work case throughout around 20 million
man-hours achieved.
3
The topsides structure is
constructed at the fabrication
site one deck at a time,
incorporating the preordered
equipment from specialist
suppliers.
With its completed weight of 19,500
tonnes the West Chirag topsides is the
heaviest structure ever installed in the
Caspian and it was fully constructed in
the country using local infrastructure at
the ATA fabrication yard which was
upgraded for this scale of activities.
5
4,000 people
About 4000 people including
sub-contractors and specialist
vendors were involved in the
construction works of West Chirag
with up to 90% of the workforce
being Azerbaijani nationals.
The ‘sail away’ of the 19,500-tonne
topsides structure is completed.
19,500 tonnes
Complete topside
183 thousand barrels
per day
The design oil capacity of West Chirag is
183 thousand barrels per day. The gas export
capacity is 285 million standard cubic feet
per day.
Build jacket
Float secure jacket
Build topside
4
Construction of the multi-decked topsides
is completed, connecting all the pipework
and equipment, including power
generation, the control systems, drilling
rig, accommodation block and helipad.
The topsides structure is jacked up and
prepared for load-out onto a barge.
Transport topside
6
Attach topside to jacket
The topsides structure is floated
over the jacket and lowered into place,
followed by commissioning and start-up.