Statoil has selected Kvaerner to deliver topside modules for the Johan Castberg FPSO vessel and for hook-up and integration of the topside modules with the hull, according to a news release.

The contract is valued at about NOK 3.8 billion (US$481 million). The Johan Castberg Field is in the Barents Sea.

Kvaerner said its scope includes fabrication of the topside modules with most of the modules being delivered from Norwegian yards. The company’s Stord facility will fabricate the modules for gas injection, for the recompressor and for separation, while Kvaerner’s specialized facility in Verdal will fabricate the module for seawater handling and the main pipe rack.

At its peak, the scope for the FPSO vessel will involve about 2,000 Kvaerner employees and subcontractor personnel, Kvaerner said.

As subcontracts to Kvaerner, Aker Solutions’yard in Egersund will deliver the modules for water and chemical injection, while the company’s facility in Sandnessjøen will deliver smaller modules and the flare boom, Kvaerner said in the news release.

The hull, including the living quarter fabricated for Statoil by Sembcorp in Singapore, will be delivered to Kvaerner’s Stord facility in fall 2020. Installation of all modules and integration will start immediately after arrival of the hull. The FPSO unit will be fully completed including commissioning and testing at Stord before the planned sail-away to the field first-quarter 2022, according to the release.

Kvaerner said the initial project planning will start immediately, and fabrication will begin fourth-quarter 2018.

In addition, Kvaerner said it plans to invest about NOK 370 million (US$ 46.8 million) to upgrade its yard facilities at Stord, pending approval by the company’s board of directors. The upgrade will include a new deepwater quay and extension of the crane rail that will allow the large 1,050-ton gantry crane to cover most of the Johan Castberg FPSO unit, according to the release.