BG Limited Poinsettia Offshore Oil Platform

Fluor, in consortium with J. Ray McDermott (JRM), provided program management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the 4,267-ton topsides, for an offshore gas production platform for BG Trinidad & Tobago, Limited (BG T&T).

Located off the northwest coast of Trinidad in 530 feet of water, the Poinsettia platform is the largest facility ever built or installed in Trinidad & Tobago waters.

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Client's Challenge

BG Trinidad & Tobago needed additional gas to meet future supply commitments and they committed to deliver a new offshore platform to provide this gas in 2008.

The preliminary design was performed by Fluor's office in Trinidad, and the resulting platform was over twice the size of anything built in Trinidad to date. With a keen desire to maximize local content, and insufficient time to competitively bid the engineering and fabrication of the facility, and still have it completed in 2008, a new BG T&T project team was assembled to meet these challenges and execute a successful project.

Fluor's Solution

To solve the BG T&T project execution and schedule concerns, Fluor and JRM formed a Consortium that would continue immediately with detailed engineering and procurement activities to preserve the schedule and eliminate the time it would take to create a bid package, and competitively bid and award a typical lump sum EPIC contract based on very preliminary design documents.

To give BG T&T the proper assurance that they would still be paying a competitive price without bidding the lump sum contract, Fluor and JRM submitted an Open Book Estimate for the EPIC project, whereby pricing could be reviewed in detail prior to contract award.

The timing of this Open Book Estimate, after additional engineering was performed and actual equipment quotes were received, enabled the contract price to be far more accurate and contain fewer contingencies for unknowns.

To maximize local content Fluor subcontracted the fabrication of the topsides to TOFCO, a local Trinidadian fabricator that had built platforms before, but none the size of the Poinsettia platform. Fluor's management of this subcontract interjected the strong Fluor culture of safety and quality into a growing, but relatively young fabrication yard. Most importantly, this Fluor-led Consortium gave BG T&T the best chance possible to meet their very aggressive schedule goals.

Conclusion

The Poinsettia platform was successfully engineered and procured by the Fluor-led Consortium, and fabricated and installed in November 2008.

The platform received its first gas in December 2008 as originally promised by BG T&T. Without the innovative contracting strategy adopted by Fluor, and the dedication and determination of the experienced professionals brought to BG T&T through the Consortium, this significant achievement could not have been realized.

The Poinsettia project received Fluor's Hugh Coble Project Excellence Award in 2008. The award is based on outstanding performance in several areas; including safety, value creation, and Client and community relations.