148 Industry Europe Industry Europe 149

world’s leading oil companies, delivering awide range of projects: the list includesthe likes of jackets, integrated topsides,modular plants, semi-submersibles top-sides and hulls or FPSO modules, etc.This is especially meritorious when onetakes into the account that this complexmarket has seen most of the Europeanyards close, as fabrication moves awayfrom Europe. Mr Cabot says, “Dragadosis the only offshore fabrication company inSpain. This is challenging, given that thistype of product is not demanded in thiscountry, which as everyone knows hasvery few oil and gas reserves.”

Yet Dragados has managed not only toremain competitive but to secure a muchcoveted pole position in this complex,rapidly changing market.

The last 30 years have witnessed theSpanish contractor going from strength tostrength. “We have been fortunate inbeing involved in record-breaking, history-making projects almost from the day webecame operative” says Mr Cabot. “TheScott Utilities and Services module forAmerada Hess was our first heavy moduleat 9,000 tons. In 1987, we completed ourfirst on-shore project, the 15,000 tonMongstad modular refinery for Statoil.

Our heaviest jacket, the Britannia – at21,000 tons – was completed in 1997 forBritannia Operator Ltd.” A real challengefollowed with the Oresund Bridge forSundlink Contractor HB. This is the bridge that links the cities of Copenhagenin Denmark and Malmo in Sweden, andDragados Offshore played a major partwith the construction of the 49 spansforming the whole bridge. “Each spanweighs 5,500 tons and we had to make 25 shipments to transport them all, sinceonly two could be loaded at any one time.We were sending them by twos everyother day for a period of 21 days. We feel

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH ASone of the undisputed world

leaders in offshore equipmentdesign, fabrication and installa-

tion for the offshore oil and gas sector,Dragados Offshore S.A., a companybelonging to Dragados Industrial S.A.,one of the Spanish most important indus-trial group of companies, has provencapabilities and all the necessary resourcesto develop large-scale projects. The com-pany operates two strategically locatedyards, one in Puerto Real in southernSpain and the other in Tampico in the Gulf of Mexico. Since 1972, DragadosOffshore has worked for some of the

After successful completion and deliveryof the mammoth “Snøhvit” natural gasplant for the Norwegian oil companyStatoil, and with its Mexican operation,fully consolidated, the Spanish EPCContractor giant Dragados Offshore is seeking to expand to new marketsacross the world. Sales directorBernardino Cabot talks to Oscar DelSanto about recent successes, currentprojects and plans for the future.

Snøhvit LNG plant being transported from Cádiz to Melkoya island

Snorre lower hull floating atour Puerto Real yard quay.

Buzzard production deck (Nexen). 12.000 ton

152 Industry Europe

very proud that we were able to bringmore than 250,000 tn all to completion on schedule.”

The first semi-submersible hull thatDragados Offshore manufactured was forNorks Hydro to operate in the Snorre BNorwegian sector of the North Sea. It isreputed to be one of the most completehulls ever delivered by a yard with a weightof some 15,000 tons. “Three years agowe finished our first ever assignment forMexico, built in Mexico under an agree-ment with local partners, the AKAL GCcompression platform. Now we have alsofinished a 19,500 ton compression/produc-tion platform for AKAL L field. This includedthe 12,000 ton deck built in Spain, with therest of the project – jackets, piles, tripodsand decks – built in Mexico. The list justmentioned is in no way exhaustive; as amatter of fact we have executed morethan 60 different projects in our almost35-year history.”

Snowhite in the ArcticYet Mr Cabot has to concede that the35,000 ton, natural gas liquefaction (LNG)plant Snøhvit (Snowhite) for NorwegianStatoil constitutes the company’s greatestachievement to date. Rarely has an engi-neering project attracted so much publicattention in Spain: ‘revolutionary industrialengineering’, ‘a true challenge carried outin style’ or ‘a tremendous accomplishmentin coordination and complexity’ are someof the expert reviews that have been echoedacross the national press. This project hasgalvanized all of the company’s resources:

more than 4,500 people have beeninvolved in its different stages, repre-senting a combined output of more than 5million working hours. It is only when onelooks into the intricacies of this under-taking that its momentousness can betruly appreciated. As Mr Cabot points out,“Not only is this the first LNG plant inEurope, but it is the first time ever that aLNG plant has been built so far from its finaldestination – some 5,000km away.”

‘Severe weather conditions’ would bean understatement to describe the climaticsituation in the Norwegian island ofMelkøya in the Barents Sea – well insidethe Arctic Circle. Minus 40 degrees Celsiustemperatures and 70 mile an hour windsare common features of this most inhos-pitable of locations. Yet it is here that theplant is targeted to start operations in

2006 with an estimated production capacityof 4.3 million tones of LNG a year. The gasis sent from the reservoir to the LNG planton the island via sub-sea production instal-lations operated remotely from inland.“When it becomes operational, it will beatthe world record in transport pipeline dis-tance of multi-phase flow, at 140 kilome-tres,” says Mr Cabot.

“The plant was built on a massive steelbarge in our Puerto Real yard, using thesecond largest crawler crane in theworld.” While the barge was moored andgrounded along the quay, prefabricationof all main steel and piping had alreadystarted. With the barge in its final position,all fully pre-assembled steel modules,painted and fireproofed, outfitted withpiping and equipment, were erected onthe barge. In between, all the main equip-ment was installed, including heatexchangers, distillation columns, refriger-ation compressors and even its ownpower generator area, consisting of fivegenerator turbines of 50MW each.

“The massive barge on which it wasbuilt had dimensions of almost two foot-ball fields. It was essential not just for thebuilding process but also for transportpurposes – having been transported bythe heavy lift ship Blue Marlin to theMelkøya Island, the barge was installed ina previously blasted-out dock. Once theplant is in place, the gap between thebarge and the dock is to be filled withgravel and the surface of the barge to becovered with a 600 mm layer of concrete,thus becoming the plant foundation.”

Witnessing the massive barge sailmajestically away from the bay of Cádiz

Oresund bridge spans loaded on transport barge.5,500 ton/unit – 270.000 ton. Total weight.

Snøhvit facilities during the erection phase. 25.000 ton.

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The refinement and processing of glassrequires a high level of know-how,experience and innovation, characteris-

tics that could be held to define the Germancompany Flachglas Wernberg GmbH. Thecompany’s glazing products are to be foundin buildings and vehicles worldwide.

Flachglas Wernberg’s 650 workershave over 60 years specialist experiencein glass manufacture, knowledge that isapplied through the latest hi-tech equip-ment at the company’s 80,000 squaremetre production centre in Wernberg,south-east Germany.

Perhaps unusually, Flachglas is ownedby its workforce. The company startedout as Sigla GmbH in 1938. The companyexpanded steadily and, in 1970, becameFlachglas AG, after combining forces withanother glass company, Delog. Ten yearslater, in 1980, the company became partof the multinational Pilkington Group. Butin 1999, Pilkington decided to discontinuetheir engagement in processed architecturalglass. The Flachglas workers arranged abuyout, acquiring 51 per cent of the com-

pany, and changing the name to FlachglasWernberg GmbH. Since then the companyhas continued to expand, becoming oneof Europe’s leading glass manufacturerswith a turnover of €63 million a year.

The company believes that, as it is ownedby the workers, this has a huge effect onproductivity as motivation is very high.

Wernberg is a very small village with apopulation of only 7,000 people and 650are employed by Flachglas Wernberg.Whereas obviously not all the staff live in the village, it is believed that almosteveryone who does has a family memberworking at Flachglas.

“I believe we are the biggest companyin Germany to belong to the people. Weget a lot of visits from politicians to seehow it works. But it’s not a workers’

SEE THROUGH SUCCESSTop quality glazing in buildings and vehicles is a technically sophisticated product. John Venablesreports on a group of German workers who had such faith in their product they bought the company.

Industry Europe 157156 Industry Europe

DRAGADOS ■ ENERGY

was an emotional experience forDragados Offshore workers. “We wereovercome by a mixed feeling of pride, sat-isfaction and also sadness, since most ofus knew that, due to its remote location,we were never to see the plant again. I can honestly say that we have given thebest of ourselves to this project, and its suc-cessful completion has meant a lot for us.”

Reaching out to the worldThe Puerto Real Yard in Cádiz where thismassive undertaking was accomplished isitself quite a feat of engineering, when oneconsiders that it comprises almost 500,000square metres of land gained from thesea. It includes all the necessary facilitiesone would expect such as structural,piping, blasting, painting, welding andfireproofing workshops.

“Thanks to our long experience, ourworkforce is highly qualified and trainedfor ever more complex tasks,” explains MrCabot. “We developed our own IntegratedManagement System, and this has provedto be an invaluable tool in integrating projectmanagement with our Safety, Quality andEnvironmental programmes. We are sopleased to have carried out hundreds ofreally complex manoeuvres over the years– such as the lifting, roll-up, loading andtransporting of huge structures – withoutany serious accident or mishap. To methis speaks volumes for the profession-alism and commitment of our staff. Whileothers have gone out of business, we arethriving and receiving full credit for ourpast and present accomplishments.”

The yard’s strategic situation and thealmost all year round good weather con-ditions it is blessed with have made it alocation of choice for contracts destinedfor the Mediterranean Sea, the West Coastof Africa or the North Sea. “We will verysoon start the expansion of our existingpier to turn it into a 300 metre long wharf. It will be capable of withstanding 50 tonsper square metre and it will mean a 21,000square metre addition to the yard. Thiswill allow FPSOs, HLVs, GBSs and semi-submersible hulls to dock and we will beable to do things like mounting topsidesand hooking them up. We believe this newline of business is full of opportunity.”

There is no question that DragadosOffshore is actively responding to thechallenges of globalization by reachingout to new markets. In the year 2000, and

due to the predicted depletion of NorthSea oil and gas reserves, the companydecided to expand and chose Mexico asa vantage point. “We started out with fourdifferent contracts as a joint ventureleader, or main contractor with local part-ners. These were very well received, andthat positive feedback – coupled with the great prospects for expansion of theMexican oil giant PEMEX – made usdecide to open a new yard in Tampico, in the Gulf of Mexico. We have just com-pleted our first contract there and areabout to begin a new assignment.” Last year the company decided to openDragados Offshore USA in Houston inorder to support the procurement activi-ties in Mexico from USA and to consoli-date and strengthen its commercialpresence across the Atlantic.

An agreement has also just beenreached with a Russian shipyard on thebanks of the river Volga to develop anumber of joint projects for the CaspianSea. Negotiations are being carried out inthe Middle East for other joint ventures.“We are also very keen to consolidate ourposition in the West Coast of Africa withoutoverlooking the Mediterranean Sea whereopportunities do come up from time totime,” says Mr Cabot.

A promising featureThere has been no respite after the com-pletion of Snøhvit. Dragados Offshore iscurrently engaged in several large-scaleprojects in both of their yards. In PuertoReal, a 12,000 ton production deck for

the Buzzard Field in the North Sea (UKsector) for the Canadian company Nexen isexpected to be completed by April 2006.There are two noteworthy PEMEX assign-ments being carried out in the Tampicoyard at present: the EPC 60 – consistingof an EPIC Contract of a production plat-form (17,400 tons) and the KU-A2, a production and compression platformincluding jacket, deck, bridges, tripodsand other elements to be delivered inOctober 2006.

In November last year, the companymade news when it was awarded theprestigious Premio Principe Felipe a laExcelencia Empresarial (Prince PhilipIndustrial Quality Award). This accoladerecognises Dragados Offshore’s contribu-tion to business excellence for its QualityProgramme and was awarded by the heirto the Spanish crown, HRH Prince Felipede Borbon y Grecia.

“One of the main reasons for our suc-cess is that we have a truly committed,highly-trained and skilled workforce. This is, in my view, the only way you cantruly carry out any Quality and / orEnvironmental management programme,especially bearing in mind that we extendthis program to all outsourced personnelinvolved in our operations. We are inte-grated in the region and over the yearshave become part of the community,”reflects Mr Cabot. Based on their pastand present performance, the Spanishengineering giant is set to become aglobal force to be reckoned with thispromising yet uncertain market. ■■

Load out of the Britannia Jacket. 21.000 ton.

EPC 60 deck (Pemex). 4,000 ton.

Dragados Offshore yard atPuerto Real (Cádiz) – Spain