Engineering Solutions for Aramco’s Massive Modules

By Malcom Ramsay

Find out from J M Baxi Heavy’s Sameer Parikh and L&T Hydrocarbon’s Dharmendra Gangrade how they pushed the boundaries of engineering and logistics expertise to transport and install critical offshore structures for Aramco’s Marjan oilfield in Saudi Arabia.

From Issue 1, 2025 of Breakbulk Magazine

(5-minute read)

The US$21 billion Marjan oilfield, Saudi Aramco’s ambitious offshore energy development, has driven numerous project cargo movements in recent years, pushing the boundaries of engineering and logistics expertise.

One example of this was the transport and installation of jackets and decks by Indian cargo specialist J M Baxi Heavy for L&T Hydrocarbon, the EPC contractor for this project. The complex task involved extensive pre-planning and resulted in the movement of four tie-in platforms, a tie platform module, nine wellhead deck modules, 217 kilometers of subsea pipelines and 145 kilometers of subsea cables.

“The transport and load-out for this project had several challenges, particularly the three decks requiring a float-over installation, where barge dimensions were non-negotiable,” Sameer Parikh, chief business officer at J M Baxi, told Breakbulk.

Part of the Marjan Increment Program, first announced in 2017, this project was the latest in a series of expansions designed to increase crude production at the offshore field by 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) and ethane and natural gas liquids (NGLs) output by as much as 360,000 bpd.

Aramco awarded the contract for fabrication and installation of the jackets and decks to L&T Hydrocarbon in 2019, but the COVID pandemic a few months later brought significant delays, disrupting schedules and necessitating timeline extensions. As a result, the project was put back to November 2023.

J M Baxi was contracted by L&T Hydrocarbon for all engineering, transportation and load-out of jackets and decks from a site around 300 kilometers north of Mumbai on India’s west coast to Aramco’s offshore development in the Persian Gulf, with the vast cargo “collectively weighing more than 17,000 tonnes.”

To meet this challenge, J M Baxi spent months planning the move in detail to ensure every step of the process, from the fabrication site to final installation, was meticulously covered. This resulted in a route involving over 1,700 nautical miles of transport by sea from the Hazira shipyard to the project site.

Headquartered in Mumbai, J M Baxi traces its origins as a shipping firm back to 1916 and today specializes in heavy and over-dimensional cargo transport, lifting and offshore operations. The group serves the petrochemical, power and offshore energy industries with advanced equipment, including 308 self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), 366 hydraulic axles, 31 prime movers and high-capacity strand jacks. Their fleet also features ocean-going barges and cranes capable of handling up to 250 tons.

Mammoth Modules

Each weighing over 5,000 tonnes, the topsides are key components of the offshore platforms and present unique challenges for lifting and transport. Measuring 73.67 meters in length, 49.50 meters in width and 47.91 meters in height, the giant structures were fabricated at L&T Hydrocarbon’s Modular Fabrication Yard at Hazira, in the state of Gujarat, on India’s west coast.

The first of the modules to be loaded out was TP-11, weighing a colossal 5,663 tonnes. Operations commenced in late November 2023 and concluded a few days later, with the final load-out weight, including axles, coming in at over a kilotonne heavier.

Next in line was the heaviest of the batch, the 6,314-tonne TP-13, which was moved between February and March 2024. The final module, TP-12, had a factory weight of 5,554 tonnes and was loaded out in May 2024.

“The stowage plan was fixed to ensure proper alignment and to tackle the tidal range of one to six meters at Hazira Jetty’s load-out, classified as Class-1 under DNV-GL standards, making it a critical operation,” said Dharmendra Gangrade, head of Logistics Management Centre at L&T.

Load-outs were carefully scheduled to align with high tides, ensuring a minimum of five meters water depth, however this meant a narrow window for completion. “Due to the moon’s cycle, suitable tidal conditions limited load-outs to approximately 18-20 days per month,” Parikh explained, adding that during these days the critical window for operations was “just three to four hours for each execution.”

The massive modules, complete with load spreaders and axles, were transported and loaded out using state-of-the-art equipment designed to handle their immense size and weight. The operation involved the deployment of 260 SPMT axle lines, which provided the necessary stability and maneuverability for moving the modules over land to the L&T Hydrocarbon Jetty. Additionally, 12 power pack units were utilized to supply the hydraulic power needed to drive the SPMTs.

Upon arrival on the jetty they were transferred to heavy-lift deck barges (HDBs), with 85 ballast pumps employed to manage the weight distribution and stability during the loading process. These also provided control over the buoyancy of the barges, ensuring that the modules remained balanced and secure.

Meticulously-Planned Operation

The execution of each load-out was a meticulously-planned operation completed in an impressive 36 hours, from the initial insertion of the axles to the final placement onto the HDB-402, a 400-class float-over barge.

Weighing a combined 18,000 tonnes and comprising 530,000 freight units, these modules represent a monumental achievement, with the partners hailing the move a “paradigm shift in engineering and logistics capabilities.”

In addition to the topsides, a variety of jackets – the supporting structures for the topsides – were also part of the load-out. These ranged in weight from approximately 100 tonnes to more than 1,000 tonnes, each jacket loaded out on carefully planned dates throughout 2024. In total, 35 jackets are planned for the project, including accessories such as boat landings and conductors for the oilfields.

The first of these, MNIF 540/549, was loaded out on April 3, 2024 and weighed 415.87 tonnes. A further nine were moved over the course of the next six months. These components were first transferred onto barges and roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) vessels at Hazira L Jetty for the final offshore destination.

“The jackets were being fabricated vertically and the center of gravity of these jackets required precise planning and transport,” Gangrade said. “The fabrication was planned throughout the year, hence the need to plan shipments during monsoon when RoRo ships were used, however we needed to maintain a non-stop flow of jackets offshore to avoid crane idling.”

When combined with a high center of gravity, the vertical orientation of the jackets caused a number of issues for transport as it greatly increased the risk of instability during transport and load-out. This was further complicated by the schedule which required constant shipment, in spite of often inclement weather.

“The shipments were planned throughout the year, including the monsoon season where high winds and swell required significant analysis of the towing operations,” Parikh said. “This period is known for its unpredictable weather and rough sea conditions, which can significantly impact marine operations.”

To counter these risks, the teams undertook detailed pre-planning and ensured close communication between all stakeholders throughout the entire process. Higher-capacity tugs were also deployed to mitigate the impact of strong winds and heavy swells, ensuring the stability and safety of the jackets during transport. “This meticulous approach was critical in ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of these massive structures,” Parikh said.

Turbulent Waters

While these powerful tugs were essential for navigating the turbulent waters and maintaining control over the heavy structures, they did not fully mitigate the risk of toppling. As a result, the teams sought to further enhance stability amid the harsh marine conditions, introducing reinforced lashing and securing measures to effectively anchor the jackets and prevent movement during the voyage.

“J M Baxi’s expertise in heavy logistics and maritime operations played a vital role in this project,” Gangrade concludes. “This complex logistics operation highlights the technical expertise and collaborative efforts crucial for large-scale industrial projects.”

The Marjan field expansion project is now one step closer, with the majority of the 32 packages well under way and the remaining projects in various stages of development. Key contractors, including Saipem and McDermott, are working on a number of major engineering, procurement and construction contracts with completion estimated this year.

“This project underscores the industry’s advanced engineering and logistics capabilities, overcoming challenges of high CG, unpredictable weather and rough seas,” Parikh said, hailing the combination of “precision, coordination, and expertise” required to accomplish this unique offshore energy project.

Operating in more than 50 countries worldwide, Larsen & Toubro is a US$27 billion Indian multinational engaged in EPC projects, hi-tech manufacturing. L&T Energy Hydrocarbon, the company’s hydrocarbon business, offers integrated ‘design-to-build’ solutions to the entire hydrocarbon industry, encompassing engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, project management services and asset life services across multiple geographies.

J M Baxi Heavy is an exhibitor at Breakbulk Middle East. L&T, Aramco, Saipem and McDermott are members of the Breakbulk Global Shipper Network.