Companies and contractors based anywhere in the world, who are planning to compete in the global energy market will be
interested in a world-class fabrication facility on the east coast of North America. Located in Trinity Bay, in the
uniquely attractive Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Bull Arm Fabrication Site was developed in
1990 to meet the rigorous demands of the offshore petroleum industry. It is here, at Bull Arm, that a 1.2 million
tonne offshore oil drilling and production platform was built for the Hibernia oil field, 315 kilometres southeast of
St. John's in the Jeanne d'Arc basin. The Hibernia platform was the first offshore installation designed to withstand
contact with sea ice and icebergs. The Bull Arm Site was also used in 2001 by PCL Industrial Constructors Incorporated
for fabrication, hook-up and commissioning work on the Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) for the
Terra Nova offshore oil development. The Terra Nova FPSO, with it's quick-disconnect riser system, is the first such vessel
designed to operate in the harsh North Atlantic environment. During the lease with PCL, there was close to 6000 tonnes of
steel fabricated in relation to the Terra Nova Project, by a competent and experienced work force that peaked at 2400.
In 2003, a portion of the Bull Arm site was leased to North Eastern Constructors Limited (NECL)
in order to fabricate work related to the White Rose Development Project, the province's third offshore oil field. In May 2004,
the M12, or the Main Electrical Room Module, was completed and moved from the Grand Module Hall to a transportation barge. It
was then deployed via marine transportation to the Kiewit Offshore Services (KOS) facility in Marystown for incorporation on
the Sea Rose FPSO. The M12, weighing 1200 tonnes, was the second of two modules completed at the Bull Arm site. The first
module, the Local Electrical Room (LER) weighed 200 tonnes and was shipped to Marystown in late November 2003. Employment
for the completion of both modules peaked at 246 totaling 250,000 person hours. Labour was supplied by the Newfoundland and
Labrador Building and Construction Trades Council (NLBCTC). NECL was extremely pleased with the high quality outcome produced
by the trained workforce with the NLBCTC.
Currently NECL are using the Bull Arm site to fabricate work for Voisey's Bay Nickel.
The ship loader assembly is scheduled to be complete early Fall 2005. As well, Cooper
Cameron Canada Corporation have sub-leased the Assembly Hall in the Topsides area of
Bull Arm to perform subsea integration testing for the White Rose development project.
In 2005, another portion of the site was leased by Penney Energy, the prime contractor
awarded the contract to complete a refit of the semi-submersible drill rig, the Henry Goodrich.
On February 17, 2005, the Henry Goodrich left the Terra Nova field for Bull Arm to undergo a
five-year special periodic survey required of all rigs operating in Atlantic Canada. Responsible
for all drilling on the Terra Nova project, the Henry Goodrich is an integral part of the Terra
Nova development and has become a fixture on the Grand Banks. It was critical that this type of
work be completed on schedule as any deviation would have had significant cost impacts for Petro-Canada.
Impressively, the work on the Henry Goodrich was not only completed on schedule, but included
additional work outside of what was originally anticipated. The Sheltered Water Survey and Refit of
the Drill Rig Henry Goodrich at the Bull Arm site was completed on May 2, 2005 with zero lost time
incidents (LTI). Employment for this project peaked at 275.
The Bull Arm Site Corporation is constantly assessing the infrastructure on site to ensure it meets
the present and future demands of our growing oil and gas industry. As a result, the Bull Arm site
has changed significantly over its fifteen year life and has adapted to maintain its competitive edge.
In 2003, the site received its International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) certification. This
certification requirement coordinated between the Bull Arm Site Corporation, the Canada Coast Guard
and the RCMP, means that the Bull Arm site is fully authorized to safely accept all international vessels and rigs.
Many site elements have been reconfigured or redesigned to adapt the site to a variety of projects. One
example is the closure of the permanent camp following the completion of the Hibernia platform. Originally
designed to house workers constructing the massive Hibernia GBS, the accommodation units have been dismantled
and removed. Now onsite personnel and visitors can enjoy the hospitality and well established services
provided by the surrounding communities. Just minutes from the thriving communities of Sunnyside, Arnold's
Cove and Come By Chance, the Bull Arm site has proudly provided a foundation for new infrastructure, technical
knowledge/expertise, technology transfer, and an experienced labour force. Along with the neighbouring North
Atlantic Oil Refinery in Come By Chance, the Oil Transhipment and Storage Facility in Arnold's Cove, and the
many diversified businesses in the Town of Clarenville, the Bull Arm Fabrication Site is providing direct benefits
of employment and income as well as indirect benefits through the purchase of a wide variety of goods and services
to many of the surrounding communities. Surrounding and supporting these large industrial sites is a self
sufficient and well established region, comprised of many beautiful communities and towns within three major
peninsulas-Burin, Avalon and Bonavista.

To find out more about what the area has to offer please visit this website: www.clarenville.net
The Bull Arm Site is located at the head of Great Mosquito
Cove on the west side of Trinity Bay, 130 kilometres by road from
the Province's capital, St. John's. Great Mosquito Cove is 1.5 kilometres
in length and has an average width of 500 metres. Water depth varies
from 15 to 35 metres in the cove's inner section and from 150 to
200 metres in the outer section.
The quality of the facilities on this site is evident
from the ground up. It has a 16 kilometre paved internal roadway connecting to the Province's main highway; its
own power supply and communications system; an on-site water system delivering drinking, fire fighting and industrial
water; and a complete sanitary sewer system with a sewage
treatment plant.
The Bull Arm Site is strategically located
to take advantage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and is closer to Europe than any other part of North
America.
The Bull Arm Site contains three major areas:
The Drydock Construction and Fabrication
Site.
The
drydock site encompasses an area of 140,000 square
metres. Major facilities include: a 9,000 square metre superpipeshop/warehouse with ten overhead cranes; a
carpentry/warehouse
building; a concrete batch plant;
a high strength concrete
testing laboratory; administration/office
buildings; and marine facilities including the former drydock and seven quays located inside and outside the drydock
area.
The
oval shaped drydock
(which is now flooded following towout of the Hibernia GBS to the
deepwater
site)
is approximately 200 metres in diameter and composes an area of
40,000 square metres. The drydock with two load-out quays is 16.5
metres below low tide level. It has full flooding capabilities and
can be easily re-established with sheet piling construction. Water
depth in the tow-out channel varies from 16 metres to 45 metres
and greatly increases out into Bull Arm itself. As an example, the
Hibernia GBS was moored in 145 metres of water during the deepwater
construction phase.
A major
modification of this area of the site was a 75 metre expansion to the former NODECO quay in 1999.
Incorporating rock filled caissons and sheet pile construction, the renamed FPSO quay is now a total
of 172 metres in length with a much larger lay down area. In anticipation of the site's work on the
Terra Nova project, this extension was required to safely moor the Terra Nova FPSO during outfitting,
hook-up and commissioning. If required, this area can be easily re-established with the addition of
lifts and stair towers.
In 2005, the FPSO quay was further enhanced in order to provide appropriate mooring for the Henry
Goodrich drill rig. Several bollards (mooring points) were reconfigured and two new bollards were
installed with 300 T and 400 T capacity. The drydock area and FPSO quay now contain a total of seven
mooring points, increasing the site's capability to accommodate any type of rig or vessel.
These assets will help ensure Bull Arm's successful and competitive future as a leading North
American offshore and onshore fabrication site in the growing international energy industry.
The Topsides Fabrication and Assembly
Area.
This
120,000 square metre area includes an administration building; pipe shop;
cutting shop; assembly hall;
blast/paint shop; heated warehouse
and a huge fully equipped module fabrication hall. The Topsides receiving quay is 200 metres in length
with approximately 10 metres of water depth at the face. There is also a 140 metre long assembly pier
capable of supporting a 40,000 tonne topsides structure.
The Grand Module Hall is equipped with two overhead cranes with 75 tonnes capacity with an auxiliary 10
tonnes on each In 2004, the Module Fabrication Hall was equipped with a new 39m x 39m vertical lift door.
Prior to the door being installed, contractors had to dismantle and reinstall one end of the building in
order to roll out completed modules. This was a tedious and costly scope of work. Having a retractable
door that completely opens in less in 10 minutes, will make the Bull Arm site more competitive even on
smaller scale projects and will enhance the marketability of the site for future major projects.
Minister Kathy Dunderdale, Department of Natural Resources, explains about the Bull Arm site "We continue to invest
in the site. It is an asset that we are very proud of, that we intend to maintain, promote and market for
the benefit of the province and, in particular, for the benefit of the region."
The Back Cove Industrial Area and Deepwater
Site
This
site includes significant laydown areas and docking
facilities to support deepwater construction operations, and can
be used as either a storage area or service area. As for the Hibernia
project, the deepwater
site
can be used for concrete platform construction and topside mating.
Facilities at this area, which can be re-established, include a
ferry terminal, 1200 square metres of shop space, security turnstiles,
and electrical and telecommunications connections to the actual
deepwater
site.
Newfoundland and Labrador has acquired the workforce,
skills and technologies used in the development of the Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose projects.
These assets are now poised to support future projects.
In areas such as cold ocean engineering, marine communications,
and ice management, Newfoundland and Labrador has developed world-class
research and development facilities, skills and technologies. The
Bull Arm Site presents a competitive and strategic advantage
to companies involved in heavy industrial activities.
The impressive facilities at the Bull Arm Site
are available for future lease or purchase to companies with great plans for the twenty-first century.
During the towout of the Hibernia GBS from the drydock
to the deepwater
site, Ken Hull, then President of HMDC (Hibernia
Management and Development Company Ltd.) stated "This is a proud moment for the more than 4,000 people working
on the Hibernia project in Newfoundland.
This milestone shows that Newfoundlanders have what it takes to get a quality job completed safely and on schedule."
Similarly, Arne Henriksen, PASSB (PCL-Aker Stord-Steen-Becker)
construction manager for the topsides site during the Hibernia project, had words of praise for the topsides site
workers. "The workers are doing a very good job quality wise. We have a total repair rate below one percent
and you can compare the work here with the best yards in the world."
Following the completion of the White Rose modules in 2004,
Mark Dykeman, Business Manager for NECL was extremely pleased with the outcome. "We wish to congratulate all of our
workers for their fine efforts on these modules and for reopening the Bull Arm Site. The demands to produce high quality
modules for our offshore industry are greatly assisted by our trained workforce with the NLBCTC."
According to Don Noseworthy, President of Penney Energy,
"The Bull Arm Site is a world class site capable of accommodating a diverse range of industrial projects. The same
high praise is given to the skill set of the Newfoundland and Labrador workforce. Combined with competent management and
a respectful labour relations environment, the result is a successful project for both the client and the contractor."
As a strong presence in the East Coast Canada oil and gas
industry since its construction, the Bull Arm Site will continue to be a major element of the industry's fabrication and
construction infrastructure. Through continued success and stakeholder support, the Bull Arm Site can play a significant
role in Newfoundland and Labrador's ability to attract exploration and development. Additionally, the capability built
by the local community through its continued work on the site can better position Newfoundland and Labrador to capture
benefits associated with industrial development while contributing to the competitiveness of the region.
For further information on the Bull Arm Site,
its facilities and equipment, please contact:
Bull Arm Site Corporation
Department of Natural Resources
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
6th Floor, Natural Resources Building
50 Elizabeth Avenue
P.O. Box 8700
St.John's, NL
Canada
A1B 4J6
Tel: (709) 729-0114
Fax:(709) 729-1699
e-mail: bullarm@gov.nl.ca
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