Mammoet boosts Scarborough efficiency

Mammoet has revealed how early constructability planning helped optimize the fabrication, weighing, jacking and load-out of the 33,000-tonne floating production unit for Woodside Energy’s Scarborough Project in China. 

Working with Qingdao McDermott Wuchuan (QMW), Mammoet handled the weighing, jacking and load-out operations for the massive topsides structure. The company’s involvement began eight years earlier during the project’s design phase, where discussions focused on safer and more efficient construction methods. 

Mammoet developed an integrated weighing and jacking solution using its new Mega Jack 10000 system. The technology allowed the topsides to be weighed and lifted simultaneously, reducing project time and minimizing the need for additional equipment. Eighty load cells were incorporated into four Mega Jack towers positioned beneath the structure’s strongest points. 

A specially engineered load-spreading beam was also designed and integrated directly into the topsides during fabrication. This enabled the structure to be built closer to the ground, improving safety and reducing the need for large cranes and elevated construction work. 

Once the topsides weight had been verified, the structure was jacked to a height of 16 metres to allow the deck support frame to be installed underneath. The completed unit was then transferred onto an installation barge using strand jacks and a skidway system. 

According to Mammoet, the approach enabled more parallel construction activities, reduced costs and improved safety throughout the project, from FEED through to final load-out.