Steel supports North Sea oil terminal

Structural steelwork is playing a significant role in the construction of Total’s new gas processing plant on Shetland.

Located next to the Sullom Voe oil terminal, the new plant will process gas from the Laggan and Tormore gasfields, 90 miles northwest of Shetland.

Working on behalf of main infrastructure contractor Morrison Construction, BHC is fabricating, supplying and erecting more than 2,000t of steel for the construction of 34 buildings.

Three of the buildings are office and accommodation blocks with the remainder being industrial and plant buildings. The structures vary in size from large compressor storage facilities with a height of up to 15m to eaves, to small individual plant rooms requiring less than 10t of steelwork.

All of the steelwork is delivered to site by ship from Aberdeen and held at a local compound until it is required.

The biggest challenge for the steelwork contractor is the weather. Eddie Brown, BHC Project Manager said: “Severe wind and snow during the winter has meant there have been quite a few days when steel erection was not possible.”

Even so, the project is on schedule and BHC will complete its work by the end of the year.