Shah Deniz 2 topsides unit heads out to the Caspian waters

On July 2, the first topsides unit built for the Shah Deniz Stage 2 platforms sailed away from the Azfen fabrication yard in Bibi-Heybat to the Shah Deniz contract area in the Caspian Sea.  

The official sail-away ceremony was held back on June 1, with the participation of H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The topsides transportation, float-over and installation activities have been carefully planned.
The unit is to be installed on top of the QU jacket, which is already at its offshore location in a water depth of 94 metres.

The QU topsides unit weighs about 12,400 tonnes and is 100 metres long by 60 metres wide. It contains 100-person living quarters, four main power generators totaling 60MW, 10 direct electrical heating modules and a range of subsea production equipment.

Over 5,000 people, including sub-contractors and specialist vendors, were involved in the construction works. More than 90% of these were Azerbaijani citizens.