According to Pars Oil and Gas Company, Keyvan Tariqati said the loading operation for the first jacket of the Farzad B development project was completed Monday, Feb. 16. The structure weighs 2,600 tons and stands 63 meters tall. The operation was carried out at the Valiasr yard of Iran Marine Industrial Co. in Khorramshahr.

Tariqati said the massive steel structure was built using the expertise of the National Iranian Oil Co. and Pars Oil and Gas Co., with Petropars as the main contractor and Iran Marine Industrial Co. as the subcontractor. Construction of the WHP1 jacket took 14 months and complied with offshore industry standards.

He noted that the loading operation was conducted for the first time using the “lift and slide” method, employing hydraulic jacks previously used for platform loading. The jacket was transferred from the quay onto the Abuzar 110 barge.

Tariqati said the method was selected following detailed engineering studies and a full review of procedures, taking into account the structure’s weight, dimensions and operational conditions.

He described jacket loading as one of the most sensitive phases of offshore projects, saying the successful completion reflected months of planning, engineering design, quality control and coordination among technical, operational and safety teams. He added that Pars Oil and Gas Co. experts played a key role in supervising and technically guiding the operation to ensure compliance with standards.

Following completion of loading and securing, the jacket will be transported and installed at a depth of more than 53 meters in the Persian Gulf near the shared maritime border between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The structure will host a drilling rig to drill four production wells with a planned daily output capacity of 500 million cubic feet of gas.

Tariqati added that more than 460,000 accident-free work hours have been recorded on the project so far, calling it an achievement made possible by the continuous efforts of engineers, specialists and project teams.