From pipe to pipeline

Taco Righarts explains the world of Linepipe Construction

What actually happens to a steel pipe after it leaves the mill? For Taco Righarts, Sales Manager at Selmers, it’s a perfectly logical question. Linepipe Construction is perhaps one of the less familiar parts of the company, yet this is where the next stage begins. Individual pipes are joined together to form complete pipelines, both onshore and offshore.

“It’s actually quite simple,” Taco says. “You start with pipes that are generally 12.2 metres long. They’re welded together until you reach the length required for the project.” From there, he takes us through the process step by step. What exactly is Linepipe Construction? What role does Selmers play? And why does installing a pipeline on land look so different from laying one at sea?

Onshore or offshore

How a pipeline is installed depends entirely on the project. For an onshore project, the pipes are welded together on site. After welding, the joint is treated by blasting and applying a protective coating. This is called field joint coating. Selmers supplies the equipment that makes this possible. “We don’t supply the coating itself, nor do we carry out the process,” Taco explains. “We provide the machines that enable our customers to do it.”

Offshore, there are several ways to install a pipeline. At a spoolbase, individual pipes are first welded together onshore into long sections, known as pipe strings. These are loaded onto a pipe-laying vessel, coiled onto a reel, and transported to the project location, where the pipeline is unspooled and laid on the seabed. Because the pipeline follows a gentle curve from the vessel to the seabed, this installation method is known as S-lay.

For projects in deeper waters, this approach is not always suitable. In those cases, the pipes are welded together on board a pipe-laying vessel. As the vessel moves forward, the pipeline gradually grows and is lowered almost vertically to the seabed. This method is known as J-lay. “The principle remains the same,” Taco says. “Only the way you execute it changes.”

From agreement to delivery

How do you know a machine will actually do what it is designed to do? According to Taco, that process starts long before the first machine is built. During the sales phase, Selmers and the customer define the project requirements together. Once these have been agreed upon, the design process begins, followed by detailed engineering, manufacturing and a series of test phases. “At the start, you agree on what the machine has to do,” Taco says. “At the end, you demonstrate that it does exactly that.”

Machines are first tested at the factory and later again on site as part of the complete production process. This allows any issues to be identified and resolved as early as possible. “You’d much rather solve problems here than after everything has been shipped,” Taco explains.

Throughout the entire project, the customer remains closely involved. Every step builds on the agreements made at the beginning of the project, ensuring that Selmers can demonstrate that the installation performs exactly as promised.

Ready for the next step

While the fundamentals of Linepipe Construction remain the same, the technology continues to evolve. According to Taco, automation is playing an increasingly important role. “You want to be able to monitor your processes more effectively,” he explains. “You know exactly how long every step takes and where improvements can be made.”

Automation provides greater insight into the process and makes it possible to automate more activities. As a result, opportunities for optimisation become visible much sooner. Selmers is also investing in further modularisation. By building machines from standardised modules, development becomes more efficient while still allowing solutions to be tailored to each customer’s specific requirements.

Never the same day twice

After eighteen years at Selmers, Taco still enjoys coming to work every day. According to him, the variety is what makes the difference. “The contact with customers, the people, the machines, the international side of the business,” he says. “It’s always different.”

Every project brings its own challenges, and that is exactly what keeps the work interesting. In the end, it all comes down to delivering a solution that helps the customer move forward.