The continuation of a long history

In February 2016, Multiconsult and Norplan Tanzania reached a significant milestone in their historic partnership. For the first time, Tanzanian engineers delivered engineering assistance to a Norwegian oil and gas project.

3. March 2016

Rewarding partnership

Norplan Tanzania has assisted Multiconsult as sub-consultants to the Ormen Lange/Nyhamna gas processing onshore facility project in Norway.

“Norplans engineers made a significant contribution,” says Vegard Ulstein, Multiconsult`s local officer in Tanzania.  “Detail design calculations of concrete foundations were performed at the Norplan Tanzania office in Dar es Salaam, while the construction drawings were prepared at the project office in Oslo. We delivered on time and enabled the project to start construction at an earlier stage than originally planned. A success!, explains Ulstein.”

With this small but significant effort, this project has brought the long cooperation between Norplan Tanzania and Multiconsult one-step further. The solid foundation of trust and understanding built through years of partnership on energy projects, has given Norplan Tanzania and Multiconsult a competitive advantage in the growing oil and gas sector in Tanzania and East-Africa. This is the first time taking full advantage of this benefit.

 

– From left: Mustafa Suluo (Head of Structural and Bridge Engineering Division), Vegard Alme Ulstein (Multiconsult), Alfred Clemence (Structural Engineer).

 

Multiconsult has been the Civil Subcontractor to Kvaerner who has a detail engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPCM) contract for the expansion of the Ormen Lange/ Nyhamna project. The contract scope includes civil engineering and design of two concrete buildings and three steel buildings with infrastructure.

“Our long-term goal is to strengthen the cooperation between our companies and create new business opportunities” says, Torbjørn Blom-Hagen, international Director in Multiconsult. “But we also see this as an opportunity to provide capacity building in oil and gas expertise to our Tanzanian partner. Exploration activities in Tanzania’s deep offshore waters have led to extensive discoveries of natural gas over the past years. By training Tanzanian engineers in Norwegian oil and gas projects we also secure participation of local petroleum professions in the Tanzanian gas and energy sectors for the future”

Strong ties to Tanzania

Multiconsult has had a presence in Tanzania for more than 30 years, through its partnership with Norplan Tanzania. The company deliver multidisciplinary engineering services in a wide range of areas, including transport engineering, water and sanitation, bridges and structural engineering, energy and environmental services, buildings and oil and gas in the East-African region.

In 2013, Statoil Tanzania awarded Norplan Tanzania, as one of only two local engineering companies, a framework agreement with for their oil and gas projects in Tanzania. The contract was for a period of 3 years, with an additional 2 x 2-year extension option.