ABB, the global power and automation technology group, in partnership with Heerema of The Netherlands, has been awarded a contract by Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Ltd (Esso), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corporation, to design, build and commission a deepwater tension leg platform for the Kizomba A Project located in the deepwater Block 15 offshore Angola. The contract will be executed by ABB from its Houston office and will also draw on resources from ABB operations in Africa, Europe and Asia, and key components will be manufactured in Angola. Scheduled for completion in the third quarter 2003, the Kizomba tension leg platform will be anchored in water 1250m deep. It belongs to the next generation of tension leg platform (TLP) design, a four-legged concept which allows customers to adjust surface wellhead solutions to local conditions. It can be built and commissioned onshore, installed in one piece and anchored to the seabed using a specially designed tethering system. The hull and topsides will be integrated in Holland, and the completed unit transported to Angola for final installation.
