Saipem will establish a large logistics base in Suriname as part of its work on TotalEnergies’ GranMorgu development, Gianluigi Della Rosa, Country Manager for Guyana and Suriname, has confirmed.
Della Rosa said the facility will be central to Saipem’s operations in Suriname. “We are going to set up a logistic base approximately 30,000 – 40,000 square meters,” he stated during a side interview at the Suriname Energy Summit. “All the pipes, all the subsea structure will be stored in this logistic base for a number of months, according to the project schedule.”
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The base will serve as a storage and staging hub, with equipment transported offshore by Saipem’s construction vessels. “From this storage area, items will be shipped with transportation vessels from onshore to the offshore construction vessels of the Saipem fleet,” Della Rosa explained.
He noted that the logistics base will form Saipem’s primary footprint in Suriname. “This will be the most important component in terms of local content,” he said, adding that the company intends to employ Surinamese subcontractors and workers in its operations.
According to Della Rosa, the base will also provide training opportunities. “We will transfer the expertise of managing a logistic base, managing login and logout of this project equipment, and also the storage capabilities,” he noted. Equipment will require safeguarding, light maintenance, and handling before being deployed offshore.
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Saipem is assessing additional areas for local involvement, including fabrication, but Della Rosa stressed that capacity must first be verified. “We need to ensure the level of capacity available in Suriname. In case of opportunity, we will also develop more on other types of work,” he added.
The GranMorgu project is a significant expansion of Saipem’s role in the Guyana-Suriname basin. “Getting this job increases our competitiveness in the area and consolidates our strategic presence,” Della Rosa said.
The company was awarded a contract by TotalEnergies, along with TechnipFMC, to undertake subsea work in support of the first oil development offshore Suriname.
Saipem’s scope of work entails the engineering, procurement, supply, construction, installation, pre-commissioning and assistance for the commissioning and start-up of the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) package. This includes the EPCI of approximately 100 kilometers (km) of 10” to 12” subsea production flowlines, 90 km of 8” to 12” water and gas injection lines, and the transportation and installation (T&I) of flexible risers, umbilicals and associated structures, at water depths ranging from 100 to 1,100 meters. For the offshore campaign, scheduled to take place in 2027 and 2028, Saipem will deploy a combination of S-Lay and J-Lay vessels, providing the optimal pipeline installation solution.
Moreover, Saipem will execute the project in cooperation with TechnipFMC, the company in charge of the subsea production system (SPS) and flexible risers and umbilical equipment packages, to optimize the integration between the mutual scopes of work.
