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INTRODUCTION
CHALLENGES
The 1200-km, 44-inch diameter Langeled
pipeline from Nyhamna in Norway to Numerous challenges were taken into
Easington on the east coast of the United account during the execution of this
Kingdom is the worlds longest offshore landfall and shore approach operation.
pipeline (Figure 1). Statoil ASA executed Amongst them were the unstable cliffs
the work on behalf of Norsk Hydro.
The new pipeline will provide up to Above, work progresses off the UKs eastern coast at
20 percent of the UKs gas requirement Easington, preparing the cofferdam and tie-in pit for
from October 2006. landfall of the new pipeline.
WOUTER VERCRUYSSE Another challenge was the presence of
Wouter Vercruysse graduated in 1992 with several marine pipelines at Easington also
an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from making landfall along the beach and land
Louvain University (Belgium) and joined pipelines that feed gas from the terminals
the Jan De Nul Group in the same year. into the UK transmission grid (Figure 2).
For the last 10 years he has been Project
Manager on many pipeline projects in the The new 44-inch diameter gas line
North Sea, Singapore, Indonesia, approaches the shore in a pre-excavated
Argentina, Taiwan and Sakhalin (Russia). offshore trench some 20 km long and
For the Langeled Project, he was Project 1.5 to 2 m deep, sited between two Figure 2. Location of the Langeled pipeline in between
Manager for the offshore part, including existing live pipelines. This required trench the existing pipelines.
shore approach trenching, offshore excavation in open sea conditions through
presweeping and gravel placement. hard boulder clay at 37-m water depth at
He is now working as Project Manager of the offshore end which was previously
the Dolphin Pipeline Project in the United unachievable by any dredger. For the shore
Arab Emirates at the Das Island Shipping crossing, a 240-m-long cofferdam plus a
Channel. temporary beach platform were constructed
to provide access in the intertidal zone to
a tie-in pit, where the offshore pipeline
MICHAEL FITZSIMONS section is connected to the onshore section.
Michael Fitzsimons graduated in 1975 with
a Bachelor in Civil and Structural
Engineering from Sheffield University (UK) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
and worked in the civil, marine and
pipeline industry for more than 20 years The installation of pipelines from offshore
before joining Jan De Nul in 2002. through shallow water to a beach always Figure 3. View of the existing cliffs along the coastline.
Since then he has been employed on many poses challenges, but the rapidly eroding
pipeline projects in Singapore, Indonesia clay cliffs along this section of the UK
and Sakhalin (Russia). For the Langeled coastline made the Langeled pipeline a the cliff. With minimum environmental
Project, he was the Project Manager for special case (Figure 3). Each year, impact being a prerequisite, open
the onshore and related pipeline works. approximately 1 to 2 m of cliff disappears excavation was not an option. The solution
He is presently project managing a into the sea. This has been going on for was to install a tunnel to carry the pipeline
pipeline project in Mauritius. thousands of years, removing numerous from the new gas terminal (sited 380 m
villages from the map. In Roman times the safely inshore of the eroding cliff) to a tie-in
coast was three miles further offshore. pit on the beach, passing under existing
Protecting the Langeled landfall section of pipelines, roads and other land features.
pipeline from this erosion called for
particular measures. A sheet piled cofferdam extended the
pipeline trench from the tie-in pit through
Engineering studies of the erosion required the tidal zone of the beach to 60 m beyond
that the pipeline be installed deep within the low water level (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Longitudinal profile of the 380-m microtunnel extending from the entry shaft to
the cofferdam into the dredged trench.
14 Terra et Aqua | Number 102 | March 2006
Another option that was considered, but with a 2.4 m outside diameter, was
rejected, included extending the tunnel installed using a tunnel-boring machine
offshore so the pipeline could be pulled (TBM). Concrete pipes, 2.5 m long, were
directly from the lay barge. However, the lowered into the entry shaft where
combined risk of constructing a longer powerful jacks pushed the pipes and the
tunnel with the marine challenges was TBM forward to form the tunnel (Figure 5).
considered to be unacceptable. The TBM was able to steer its way and a
To ensure there would be no delay, both vertical curved alignment was followed that
the tunnelling and cofferdam were avoided the need for a deep entry shaft.
scheduled to be completed in advance of
the arrival of the lay barge and this was The soil conditions were stiff clay with
executed as planned. occasional boulders. The forward face of
the TBMs earth balanced shield was set up
with picks and water jets to cut the clay
TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION and cutting discs to break up the boulders.
To minimise ecological impacts, seawater
Work on the tunnel started in Autumn was pumped down to the face of the TBM,
2004 with the clearance of the site and the which flushed out the sediment as a
installation of the tunnel shafts. The tunnel, mixture with seawater.
Figure 8. Nearshore trench being dredged by CSD JFJ De Nul. Figure 9. Schematic drawing of the JFJ De Nul at work.
16 Terra et Aqua | Number 102 | March 2006
Figure 10. Three-dimensional view of the pipeline trench dredged in hard boulder clay by the CSD JFJ De Nul.
OFFSHORE PRE-SWEEPING
CONCLUSIONS