The scope of work for all three stages included:
Civil works:
- Re-routing a new 600m section of the existing DN 450 (18”) buried steel fuel supply pipeline main to enable the construction of a new domestic jet terminal baggage handling building
- Maintenance for 11 existing valve pits
- New pipe work connecting the valve pits
- Maintenance of three fuel hydrant expansion loops
- Replacing eight fuel hydrant pits
- Removal of concrete and asphalt pavements
- Excavation and disposal of material
- Complex lift of the new fuel pipe
- Backfilling
- Lighting upgrades, line marking, and new concrete and asphalt surfaces
Mechanical Works:
- Internal Pipe Coating
- External Pipe Wrapping
- Pipe Spool Fabrication & Welding – Pipe Butt Welds
- Commissioning of Pipeline (Flushing, CCTV, Pressure Test, Nitrogen Preservation)
Located on a live airfield, making the work a complex logistical exercise while ensuring there was no disruption to the critical airport operations.
The complexities and challenges of safely working within a busy airport operational environment meant valuable lessons were learned that can be applied to future projects. Some key examples include:
- Efficient management of airside security processes for sub-contractors
- Upskilling staff to self-perform the ‘clear and bright tests’, minimising resourcing risk from external parties during shutdowns
- Designing and fabricating an innovative magnetic vacuum tool to remove swarf after hot tapping with First Gas Ltd
- Planning and completing complex fuel line ‘shutdowns’ without disrupting fuel flows
- Working to ‘clean build’ standards and achieving a 100% pass rate first time in tests
- Safely excavating around hundreds of existing services without a single strike
- Working with Auckland Airport to become one of the first sites in NZ to trial RAT testing during Covid-19
- Achieving a 100% pass rate on the weld tests, completing a complex lift, and dealing with an unusually wet winter’s impacts on the open trenching