Clough Murray and Roberts consults with One Eighty on the Sunrise Subsea LPG pipeline project

Clough Murray and Roberts secured the Sunrise Subsea LPG pipeline project in early 2016 after a two-year project development period.

As one of the premier Oil & Gas projects in South Africa, the project consists of approximately 5000m of 12“ API 5L X52 line pipe, flanges and valves, along with a subsea pipeline end manifold (PLEM) system, transferring pressurized LPG to onshore storage facilities.

One of the critical project risks identified at an early stage was the correct and timely completion of the various welding elements on the project. Ranging from structural steel elements to specialized fabricated spool pieces, a lag in productivity or re-work / repair delays due to quality concerns would have a catastrophic effect on the overall project success.

As a primary mitigation to this risk, Clough Murray and Roberts engaged with One Eighty at an early stage in a consulting capacity to assist in developing the best welding strategies and assist the nominated sub-contractor in developing project appropriate welding qualifications and procedures complying with international best practices and standards.

Experience gained on the Medupi & Kusile power station projects has highlighted the benefits that the services of a consultancy such as 180 Engineering provides to the main contractor, enabling early and cost effective risk mitigation.

Involving an engineering / metallurgical consultant in the project’s top tier, and not merely as a material testing laboratory or as a reactive remedial advisory service, has allowed Clough Murray and Roberts to streamline all phases of the welding processes.

Due to their impeccable track-record, attention to detail, and building on a relationship established on the Cape Town Stadium, One Eighty is also the designated material testing laboratory for all welding qualifications submitted by sub-contractors on the Sunrise project, and will be involved in spot control checks of NDT testing and golden welds.

Clough Murray and Roberts believe that the benefits gained from the strategic involvement of specialised consultancies, such as One Eighty, at an early stage in project lifecycles are a key aspect in delivering projects to our client’s expectations, and provides a technical and strategic advantage in the Oil & Gas marketplace.

Testimonial written by Frederik Theron, Technical Engineer. Clough Murray & Roberts