Keppel Subic Shipyard, Inc. – situated in Subic, Zambales, in Central Luzon of the Philippines – marked the start of construction works on a Depletion Compression Platform (DCP) for its customer Shell Philippines Exploration BV (SPEX) with a Strike Steel Ceremony today.
When completed, the DCP will be deployed in the Malampaya gas field, near Palawan Island, in the Philippines.
Undersecretary for the Department of Energy (DOE), Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit, initiated the cutting of the first steel plate to be used in the construction of the DCP at the event held at Keppel Subic Shipyard, this morning. Officiating this ceremony together with the Energy Undersecretary was the Ambassador of Singapore to the Philippines, Mr V.P. Hirubalan.
The development of the DCP forms Phase 3 of the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power project, which is led by the Philippine Department of Energy and supported by the consortium comprising the Malampaya project operator, SPEX, and its joint venture partners, Chevron Malampaya LLC and the Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC).
Mr Tong Chong Heong, Chief Executive Officer of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), the parent company of Keppel Subic Shipyard, said: “ We are greatly honoured to have Energy Undersecretary Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit mark the first construction milestone of this DCP project with us. Her presence at Keppel Subic Shipyard is an encouragement to all of us as we work together with our stakeholders on this significant Philippine project. Keppel is very happy to be entrusted with building the first such platform to be fully constructed in the Philippines.
“ Keppel has been present in the Philippines since 1975. We acquired Keppel Subic Shipyard in 1994; today, it is one of our two yards in the country. Over the years, Keppel Subic Shipyard has grown its ship repair and fabrication competencies. As a key yard in Keppel O&M’s global network, we continue to enhance its facilities and the capabilities of its workforce to take on more offshore projects. We are committed to extend and improve our services for our customers.
“With the strong support from the national and local government, and good teamwork between us and SPEX as well as their joint venture partners, we are confident that this project will progress safely and promptly.”
Mr Leong Kok Weng, President of Keppel Subic Shipyard , said: “ We are working as one team with SPEX towards our common goal of successfully completing the DCP. To ensure safe and efficient operations, we have been expanding our facilities and increasing the capabilities of our workforce. We are pleased to enter the construction phase of the DCP project, and will continue to work hard towards delivery.”
At the Malampaya gas field, the DCP will be deployed next to an existing shallow water production platform. The platform is designed to maintain the current availability and deliverability of natural gas from the Malampaya field through regulating the gas export pressure and flow rates.
The DCP comprises gas compression facilities mounted on a barge deck, supported by four tubular legs on base footings. Keppel Subic Shipyard is responsible for the fabrication of the entire DCP, including the integration of the topside modules and the fabrication of the link bridge connecting the DCP to the shallow water platform.
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Keppel Subic Shipyard, December 7, 2012