An Other Expansion of the Market for the Long Length Concept
The Government of Ghana has decided to clean up one of the region’s worst environmental disasters , the Korle Lagoon in the western part of Accra, the capital of Ghana. Ghana is located in West Africa, just 5° north of the Equator.
The Government has received co-funding from OPEC and the Kuwaiti Government for the project, and the Belgian company Dredging International was awarded the contract to dredge up the polluted river and construct a preliminary treatment plant, with a long sea outfall crossing the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon and further some 920 m out into the Atlantic. Dredging International has already carried out the major dredging works and the treatment plant is under construction. The project is scheduled to be completed within the year 2005, after 5 years of work.
Dredging International placed the order the pipe supply for the lagoon crossing and the sea outfall with Pipelife Norway. The main reasons for choosing Pipelife were:
- The long length concept, with supply of the OD 1400 mm PE pipes with flange connections ready assembled on the pipe sections. This solution made it possible to avoid any welding on site by the pipe supplier, thus reducing the dependence of external suppliers and reducing costs.
- Transport by towing, all the way from Norway to Ghana, turned up to be very competitive.
- No need of land-based work sites, the pipes are moored up in the naval port of Sekondi , some 200 km west of Accra, where the concrete ballast weighting will take place.
- Pipelife Norway’s long experience as a specialized large diameter PE pipe supplier for the marine pipe market, with an outstanding reference list.
- Professional technical support, with innovative solutions for the diffuser pipe section.
The order was placed with Pipelife in May 2004, and the OD 1400 mm pipes were produced in June. The order consisted of:
- 2 x 440 m °1400 x 46,7 mm SDR30 PE80 pipes, flanged in both ends.
- 2 x 460 m °1400 x 53,5 mm SDR26 PE80 pipes, flanged in both ends.
- 8 numbers of pre-fabricated diffuser risers with protective hoods, which shall be assembled on the main pipe by the marine contractor.
- 2 x 80 m °800 mm buoyancy pipes needed for the installation of the heavily weighted diffuser section.
The total value of the order is approximately 1 million Euros.
The tow with the long length pipe left from Stathelle, Norway on August 6, 2004 and arrived in Sekondi, Ghana on September 18, 2004, after 6 weeks on the sea. The Danish tug boat ôGORMö, which towed the pipes to Ghana, experienced some bad weather on the way, with strong wind and up to 10 m high waves during the crossing of the Bay of Biscay. As one of the crew said: We faced some difficulties with this bad weather, but not the pipes. They just floated nicely up on the wave tops and followed gently. During inspection in Sekondi harbour, after the pipes were safely moored up, no scratches or damages whatsoever could be detected. This delivery is again a proof of the very safe and reliable concept and method of transport developed by Pipelife.
The concrete weights shall now be assembled on the pipeline in Sekondi harbour, where also the diffuser risers are assembled.
The weighted pipe sections shall thereafter be connected to two strings, one 880 m °1400 SDR30 string for the Korle Lagoon crossing and the second string, the 920 m long °1400 SDR26 pipe for the sea outfall. The two weighted strings shall then be towed to Accra in early January 2005, and directly submerged into the ready prepared trench. Finally the lagoon section and the sea outfall section are joined together and the pipe system is to be connected to the treatment plant.
This project far away in Africa has again proven the competitiveness of Pipelife Norway’s long length concept and also proven its reliability. How far shall we go next time ?? |
Tow departure from Stathelle
Handing over of the pipes
Mooring of the of the pipes
1000mm protective pipe
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