Sarens Dismantles Oil Rig At Rumaila Oil Field In Iraq

Sarens crew and equipment helped the Iraqi Drilling Co. (IDC) and British Petroleum dismantle a damaged rig at the Rumaila Oil Field in Basra, Iraq. The oil rig, which stood at a height of 62 metres, had to be stabilised before it could safely be lifted and dismantled.

To execute this delicate operation, Sarens deployed a combination of cranes, SPMTs, and trailers. It took three days to mobilise the equipment from the Sarens yard and deliver it to the Rumaila Oil Field. The equipment travelled via three lowbed and eleven flatbed trailers, and required three more days for assembly. The main challenge was rigging the top section of the crane at a 62-metre height using a man basket. With the equipment in place, the crew then began the operation, which lasted from December 15, 2019 through January 10, 2020.

Due to the damage to Rig IDC 59, the structure had an offset angle that made the entire rig unsafe. The crew first had to stabilise it using SPMTs, ensuring the whole structure was supported as they carried out the lifting operation and dismantled it in a controlled manner, section by section.

The operation depended on a 600T crawler crane in SL configuration and 84m main boom, a 400T crane with main boom and 17m extension, a 60T crane with main boom, and 24-axle lines SPMT. The SPMTs supported the damaged rig as well as the crawler crane as it lifted the heavy 28-tonne section at the top of the 62-metre tall rig. The 17-member crew worked together to lift from one position and then slew with the load.