Conbit: Leading Turnkey Solutions in Offshore Engineering
Trusted expertise
Founded in 1993 as a structural engineering company, Conbit has grown significantly and expanded into new services and markets to earn a reputation as a leading brand in offering exceptional turnkey solutions within the field of offshore brownfield modification projects.
Today the company employs 45 engineers from its main office in Best, the Netherlands. It is active in a diverse range of industries globally including offshore oil and gas, energy, petrochemical, infrastructure, and logistics. Key to its success has been the professionalism of its committed team who are divided into structural engineers, draftsmen, project managers, transport and installation technicians and other supporting staff. Conbit is proud of the high level of co-operation within its organisation and of the personal and informal relationships that have characterised the company as an approachable and professional business partner.
Conbit has identified itself as a trusted expert in the field of complex and often challenging transport and installation projects. The installation of huge structures or manoeuvres under extreme conditions requires dedicated analysis and competent professional knowledge to be executed efficiently and safely. This is especially true when transport over sea is required, where acceleration forces due to ship motions act on the transported structure. Similarly, the offshore environment can create hazards to installation during even relatively calm weather, meaning that such work should always be carried out with the highest professional proficiency.
With an excellent track record of successfully carrying out such demanding installations, Conbit has won successive contracts from wellestablished and globally recognised operators like Total, Gaz de France, ExxonMobil and others. The company has been prevalent in helideck services, including supply and installation of perimeter netting installation, flare tip exchange, installation of offshore modules, the lifting of offshore living quarters and lifetime extension services.
During 2012 Conbit completed a prestigious project of lifting two offshore accommodation units for the K6-P platform in the Dutch North Sea. The work was carried out for Total E&P Nederland BV. The project was a significantly complex one, involving engineering and method statement, load testing and inspection, the provision of lifting equipment, supply of rigging and rope access crew, co-ordination of third party activities and the provision of vessel support crew. Installation of the living quarters was compounded by the weight of the structures, coming in at 44 MT and the difficult location of the units, which were to be located just below the rig’s helideck. The rig’s own deck crane was not able to provide neither the capacity nor the dexterity to position the units and other lifting devices such as crane vessels were similarly disadvantaged. This, in part was what convinced the rig’s owners to employ the expert installation services that Conbit is able to offer.
The lift was successfully achieved through the combination of the team’s expert engineering skills and the creation of several strategic lifting points to facilitate the lift. The lifting system ultimately consisted of a lifting boom with a height of approximately eight metres and another lifting point, which was created to hold a lift line that ran through the helideck. Each of these lines was connected to a 15 MT lifting winch. Prior to the lift the hoist system was tested several times and full safety briefings were issued. Once the lift was started a 0700 on 10th June the lift was completed and the unit connected in less than 24 hours.
During June this year Conbit won a repeat contract from Dana Petroleum after successfully completing a previous contract for the company. Tasked with helideck net fitting on the F2-A Hanze Platform, located in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, 200 km northwest of Den Helder, a dedicated crew was flown offshore on the 20th June and was able to finish the installation six days later. This was achieved despite the requirement of the crew to be able to demobilise within 20 minutes to allow for helicopter activity to continue and bad weather that meant that installation work had to be stopped for two days. While the project was in its preparation stage, several meetings took place to ensure that all parties involved were clear on their part in the operation and once the crew arrived all of the necessary tools and equipment had been supplied ready for the job to commence. The nets were provided by Finnish company Frictape as one of Conbit’s carefully selected suppliers and are the only nets on the market with a third party type approval certificate stating that the nets comply with CAP437 and UK oil and gas guidance.
Conbit remains dedicated to its mission to deliver the most efficient, safe and reliable services and aims to develop and implement cutting-edge solutions globally. By encouraging teamwork, operating in multiple disciplines and prioritising safe and efficient working conditions the company is well place to act as a market leader in transport and installation solutions.
Conbit
Services: Transport and installation solutions