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Hilcorp: Plans screeding at Nikaitchuq, Oooguruk
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Hilcorp Alaska plans screeding activities at Nikaitchuq and Oooguruk this summer, with work at Oooguruk approved and an application in for screeding and barge landing work at Nikaitchuq.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil and Gas approved screeding activities at Oooguruk in a unit plan of operations amendment decision dated May 5.
That work involves maintenance screeding activity at the Oooguruk Drill Site in the Oooguruk unit, an artificial gravel island in 4.5 feet of water some 5 miles offshore in Harrison Bay. In its approval the division said there is an area on the central, southeast part of the island, some 50-feet by 60-feet, "comprised of sheet metal piles instead of sacrificial gravel bags" used for occasional loading and unloading of barges with larger loads. Screeding is occasionally needed in that area "to ensure barges can safely sit on a flat level surface while loading and unloading."
Screeding will be done on an as-needed basis and in years when screeding operations are necessary, some 8 hours in the summer open water period will be needed to complete operations, with this year's project work scheduled to begin June 15.
Oooguruk is offshore the North Slope north of the Kuparuk River unit.
Land use permit On May 20 the division public noticed a land use permit application from Hilcorp for authorization of screeding activities at Oliktok Point and the Spy Island Drill Site and installation of a barge landing at Oliktok Point during the ice-free season. Spy Island is in Hilcorp's Nikaitchuq unit, east of Oooguruk, and the pipeline from Spy Island comes ashore at Oliktok Point.
On April 21 Hilcorp requested a land use permit to screed and maintain a temporary barge ramp to "provide safe approaches during barging season." The land use permit application says the request is for a multi-year term for up to five years with use in July, August and September.
Hilcorp said the barges "provide personnel transportation, emergency response, transport of project materials and delivery of consumables (food, fuel, and supplies) to and from SID, Oooguruk Drillsite (ODS) and Oliktok Point," with screeding a maintenance activity "due to the variations of sediment accumulation during the summer months."
Screeding would be conducted starting in July and is estimated to take five to 20 working days each year, depending on weather, the company said.
General maintenance screeding would be at the east and west barge ramps on Spy Island, an area 150 feet by 400 feet at each ramp.
At Oliktok Point, screeding would be at a 150 by 400-foot area at the east side barge ramp and a 50 by 100 foot-area at the west side boat ramp.
Activities would include sediment placement along the subsea pipeline route between Spy Island and the Oliktok producing pad on an as-needed basis.
Hilcorp said the 60 by 60-foot barge ramp at Oliktok Point is either re-assembled each open water season or partially left in place over the winter. It is made of rig mats and some 30 gravel-filled bags. The ramp is in the Kuparuk River unit.
--KRISTEN NELSON
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