From staffing to full discipline responsibility at Aker Verdal

Fenris as a springboard, Hugin B as the scale-up

On Fenris, we supplied skilled personnel for a wide range of tasks, from cable pulling and termination to installation, mechanical completion and field engineering services. Fenris left Verdal on schedule, and Aker considered the project a great success.

Hugin B followed, with the same disciplines as Fenris but on a much larger scale. That called for a very different mix of people. The result was a blend of experienced industry professionals and new hires who built their skills from the ground up.

The groundwork laid on Fenris and Hugin B led Aker to bring Nordic Rig Tech onto the Hugin B Enterprise project. In addition to the skilled workers, we provided our own installer and specialized personnel for the switchboard rooms, the LIR and LER, with full responsibility for termination in every room and for connecting the switchboards.

- I was involved in everything, and it gave me a much broader understanding of the entire installation, says Lars Kronheim, who led the work as foreman.

The bridge between construction and MC

Behind the rapid progress from Fenris to Hugin B Enterprise was close coordination between construction and mechanical completion (MC), two disciplines that can easily fall out of step. Andreas Gausvik, field engineer at Nordic Rig Tech, worked from the back office in Bergen, coordinating between the two disciplines together with five colleagues.

- At first there were some challenges in how construction and MC worked together. Each discipline had its own tasks and priorities, and we quickly saw that closer cooperation and better communication were needed to keep progress on track, says Gausvik.

He points to clear communication and close follow-up as the key to delivering a successful project within the planned timeframe:

- We were a group working closely with both disciplines to catch and resolve issues that could hold up completion and handover. Through close follow-up, we made sure the necessary clarifications, materials and documentation were in place. That improved the flow of work and helped us deliver within the planned deadlines.

The people behind it

The trust we earned with Aker in Verdal was based not only on what we delivered, but on the people behind the delivery.

Karita Grønsdal started on Hugin B with no previous shipyard experience. After just one rotation, she was given responsibility for terminating and connecting on her own, in cabinets with up to 60 cables.

- It was really great to be trusted like that, she says. -The worst that could happen was that I’d have to ask for help, and there was always room for that.

Ivan Olsen, field engineer in Verdal, describes a culture that stands out from the rest of the industry:

- It’s a young environment with a lot of enthusiasm. At NRT, we’re passionate about the work and eager to learn. That’s not something you can take for granted.

Proving ourselves, project by project

Our work at Aker in Verdal has shown what we can deliver: not just people, but entire disciplines. We came in, put in a remarkable effort, and ended up being trusted with responsibility for far more than staffing.

- It’s on the projects that we prove ourselves. If you do a good job, you get bigger opportunities later on, and it’s the people behind the smaller assignments who decide whether we land the big ones, says Petter Solberg, foreman on Fenris and Hugin B.

Curious about what Nordic Rig Tech can do for you? We’d love to hear from you.