TOFCO completes milestone Trinidad and Tobago offshore structure

Juniper offshore gas platform topsides

FEBRUARY 12, 2017 —Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Unlimited (TOFCO) recently completed work for the Juniper offshore gas platform topsides at its facility in La Brea, Trinidad. The project is the largest offshore structure ever fabricated in Trinidad and Tobago.

Juniper is a Normally Unmanned Installation (NUI) measuring 145 feet to the top of the helideck and weighing approximately 5,200 short tons. It was recently installed 50 miles off the southeast coast of Trinidad at a water depth of 360 feet. An anticipated production capacity of 590 million standard cubic feet per day will flow through the Mahogany B offshore hub.

Projects of this size and complexity pose unique challenges. However, TOFCO not only delivered the historic project safely and within budget, but it was also fully completed and pre-commissioned prior to the scheduled sail-away date.

TOFCO says that, even with the aggressive schedule, quality was not sacrificed and global benchmarks were exceeded by working more than 2 million man hours on Juniper without a lost-time incident.

Over the past decade, TOFCO has installed management systems and processes to maximize efficiency and ensure quality control for all projects. As a result, the company has successfully fabricated ten major offshore structures, essentially establishing the offshore fabrication industry in Trinidad and Tobago and developing a base of skilled workers.

TOFCO’s employee mentoring model has empowered its workers by providing internationally accepted skill set training, education and career development.

“The construction of the Juniper topside by TOFCO is as much a victory for Trinidad and Tobago and the community of LaBrea as it is for the companies involved in the project,” said TOFCO General Manager Javed Mohammed. “We look forward to taking this success into securing future projects.”

Fabrication of the Juniper topsides was significant for the Trinidad and Tobago economy because it provided local contracting and employment opportunities in a wide range of crafts and disciplines, helping to strengthen and stimulate the domestic oil and gas services supply chain. When Juniper begins production, it is expected to help close shortfalls experienced by the downstream and LNG processing plants.

TOFCO (Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Unlimited) was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Houma, LA, headquartered Chet Morrison Contractors and Trinidad’s Weldfab, Ltd. Its 37-acre waterfront facility located in southwestern Trinidad is the country’s leading supplier of offshore fabrication services.

TOFCO provides fabrication, installation, scaffolding, logistics, electrical and instrumentation, as well as on- and offshore labor services, brownfield and greenfield work. The facility has produced 10 major offshore fabrication structures, including the topsides deck for Juniper, the largest offshore platform in Trinidad and Tobago’s history.