Norwegian company Techouse has delivered a new sulphate removal unit (SRU) that will be installed on board the Voyageur Spirit FPSO, which is set for deployment at Eni-operated Baleine oil field offshore Côte d'Ivoire.

Having secured the contract in May 2023, Techouse engineered, constructed and delivered the SRU in less than 12 months.

The company utilized its international engineering network – including offices in Stavanger and Oslo in Norway, Glasgow in Scotland, and Qingdao, China – to handle engineering, project management and procurement.

Construction of the 200-tonnes SRU was conducted by Audex Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, as a subcontractor to Techouse. The SRU was then transported via barge from Fujairah to DryDocks World in Dubai, where the Voyageur Spirit FPSO is being upgraded for Baleine phase 2.

Techouse delivered the SRU as a subcontractor to FPSO owner and operator, Altera Infrastructure Norway. Once completed at, the cylindrical Voyageur Spirit FPSO will be transported to Baleine deepwater field offshore the Ivory Coast.

“Perhaps just as impressive as the fast-track delivery is that we handed over the SRU without punches, meaning that all work and components fully conformed to the specifications in the construction contract. Maintaining high quality standards is also possible for fast-track projects, and Altera Infrastructure and Eni deserve credit for their commitment to such ambitious project execution plans,” said Knut Haga, Techouse’s project director for the project.

Voyageur Spirit is a cylindrical-shaped FPSO, that previously operated on the Huntington field in the North Sea until 2020. The shuttle tanker Nordic Brasilia has been converted into an FSO to provide additional storage capacity to the Voyageur FPSO. Altera owns and operates both vessels.

The FSO and FPSO are set for deployment on the Baleine field with a 15-year firm contract as part of the project’s second phase.

• Altera Hires DOF to Install Voyageur Spirit FPSO Offshore Ivory Coast
• Eni Starts Production from Baleine Field in Côte d’Ivoire

Eni started production of oil and gas from the first phase of the Baleine development in August 2023, with first production coming less than two years after the discovery in September 2021 and less than a year and a half after the final investment decision.

Baleine has been described as the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Ivorian sedimentary basin.