Simberi Deep-Sea Tailing Pipeline

Type of project: Mining infrastructure

Client: Saint Barbara Gold
Location: Simberi Island, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
Completed in: 2022

Saint Barbara Gold contracted Spiecapag for the renewal of their 500m+ DN1000 HDPE Deep Sea Tailings Pipeline and their seawater intake pipeline. The pipeline had been in service since 2007 and ran from the process facility in Pigiput Bay south-east out to the seabed. Initially our scope involved welding the new pipeline, stringing and fitting ballast to allow the mine to restart operations, however due to a new bathymetric survey, the alignment was radically redesigned.

The new alignment increased the complexity of the scope and we provided custom designed and fabricated new restraining and support mounts. We worked with St Barbara to develop a new solution and were able to continue the replacement operations without significant delay.

The new pipeline and route included several turns and many more ballast blocks required additional towing capacity. Spiecapag co-ordinated the increase in scope and managed the towing and final sinking utilising six vessels.