In the Mediterranean Sea, close to the Nile River Delta, lies the Zohr gas field. Discovered in August 2015, this field, located in the Shorouk Block offshore Egypt, has proven to be a game-changer in the energy industry. With a potential exceeding 30 trillion cubic feet of gas, equivalent to approximately 5.5 billion barrels of oil, it stands as the largest gas discovery ever made in Egypt and the Mediterranean region. Bezemer was approached by Petroleum Marine Services (PMS) to provide linear winches for two stages of the Zohr Field Development Project.  

 Anchor design by Bezemer 

Bezemer’s contribution to this project extended beyond the provision of winches. Our team was also involved in the anchor design, for this part of the project. After analysis of the soil sample, a layout was proposed, utilizing sheet piles and gravel with holdback wires strategically positioned underground. Through calculations and site visits, Bezemer ensured a robust and reliable anchor design, setting the stage for the 500 mTon pull.  

 After completion of the hold-back anchor, the winch was positioned to complete the pull of one 8″ Glycol Line, one 14″ Service Line, and one 26″ Gas Line. For these pulls the KTC 400 Linear Winch was employed. This winch has a maximum pulling force of 500 metric tons and can pull steel wire ropes with a diameter of 102mm. Since there were 3 pipelines to be installed, the anchor design was equipped with multiple mounting points which ensured fast repositioning of the winch between pulls.  

 Providing a winch for Zohr II 

After having completed this scope of the project with success, Bezemer was reapproached by PMS for another part of the Zohr Projects. In 2017 PMS, awarded Bezemer with the scope of providing a 500 tonnes winch for the beach pull of four pipelines. For this part of the Zohr Project, we provided the powerful CPM1100 winch.   

Since the laying barge was located about 2100m from the shoreline, Bezemer supplied about 2250 meters of steel wire rope. With bezemer operators working in day and night shifts, the four 2250-meter pulls were swiftly completed.  

 Completion of the Zohr field development project 

Since its commissioning in December 2017, gas production at Zohr has soared to over 2.7 billion cubic feet per day marking a significant milestone in Egypt’s energy journey. At Bezemer Dordrecht we are proud of our participation in the Zohr Field Development Project.  

 The selection of photos below shows the construction of the sheet pile holdback anchor used at Zohr I, and the 500 tonnes winches in operation.