Southampton to London Pipeline completed ahead of schedule

 Spanning a timeframe of almost seven years since its inception, the ambitious project has seen the construction of the UK’s first major oil pipeline in 25 years.  SLP Project Manager Todd Calveley and his team were responsible for all the construction work including the installation of the pipe and reinstatement work, procuring resources and providing guidance and oversight for all the contractors. Meanwhile Martin Pullman, Midstream OBE Manager in Europe and Africa, has overseen the commissioning process as he and his team are responsible for all the fuel assets operated by ExxonMobil, including pipelines, terminals and trucks.   

Newsline recently spoke to Todd and Martin to reflect on the construction and commissioning stages of the project, which involved physically laying and welding the pipe in the ground and making good the land above, followed by testing and commissioning.   At its peak, more than 1,200 people were involved, and together they worked about two and a half million hours on the project!

To the uninitiated, one might imagine works would start at one end of the pipeline route, completing at the other, but this wasn’t the case as Todd explains:  “At any one time we had up to 20 work fronts taking place simultaneously, anywhere on the pipeline route.  And we had high priority areas – for example where the pipeline traversed major schools.  We committed to undertake works in these areas during the school holidays to minimise disruption.”

A range of construction techniques were used throughout the project, including the deployment of horizontal directional drilling to navigate under railways, roads, and waterways.  These techniques proved crucial in overcoming various challenges encountered along the pipeline route.  Street works, almost 8km of the route, also proved challenging and time consuming, as contractors had to dig trenches beneath pavements and roads, avoiding domestic utilities and power cables, water supplies and sewage pipes.

Todd notes the importance of adaptability in the face of evolving circumstances and the need to make quick, risk-based decisions.  He says: "We soon realised that the highly skilled pipeline welders we needed were no longer available in the UK, so we made a quick decision to bring in a team from Portugal.  And with hindsight, I am now more aware of the need to tackle the complex areas of works during the drier months of the year, too,” he reflects!

Throughout all phases of the project, stakeholder engagement played a pivotal role in ensuring alignment with community needs and regulatory requirements. This was particularly important when developing and applying for the Development Consent Order (a form of planning permission for nationally significant infrastructure projects).  Martin recalls all the work undertaken to finalise the pipeline design and the route.  “That involved an awful lot of interaction with local authorities, railway companies, highways, Natural England, and more than 250 landowners,” he says.  “This inclusive approach not only fostered goodwill but also helped identify potential issues early on, allowing for timely resolution and mitigation.”

In line with ExxonMobil's commitment to environmental sustainability, the SLP project prioritised minimising its ecological footprint and adhering to stringent environmental regulations. "We conducted regular environmental assessments and audits to ensure compliance with regulations and minimise disruptions to local ecosystems,"  Todd adds.  

Once the final pipeline testing was complete , Todd and his team handed the baton to Midstream for the commissioning process.  Martin says:  “Part of the commissioning process required the new systems to be integrated with our 24-hour Pipeline Control Centre in West London (which monitors all of ExxonMobil’s pipelines in the UK for pressure and leak prevention) and to the existing pipeline link to Heathrow Airport. The Midstream commissioning team of around 40 people worked night and day and over weekends for months to prepare and ensure it was all right on the night.  I am delighted to report it all went extremely well and everybody was very happy!”

Martin continues: “Throughout the commissioning process, key external and internal stakeholders including Sales, Marketing, Midstream, Product Quality, Manufacturing and Supply Operations were actively engaged in regular meetings to ensure comprehensive planning to mitigate risks. Contingencies were meticulously planned for, including building up third-party jet fuel stock at both West London terminal and Heathrow to ensure sufficient inventory in the event of delays, and arranging for trucks to remove contaminated fuel if needed. 

“One of our biggest concerns was the internal cleanliness of the pipe. When you're putting so much pipe in the ground, you can't help but get foreign matter in it. A temporary filter was installed at West London terminal to address this risk and we were delighted when tests showed that the inside of the pipe was clean and that the quality of the jet fuel that came out was excellent with minimal particulates. This resulted in the whole commissioning process being completed a full week ahead of schedule.”

The Southampton to London Pipeline project stands as a testament to the power of planning, collaboration and cross-functional working.  Both Martin and Todd would like to thank everyone involved in the project.  They’d like to recognise Kieron Hudson, UK pipelines manager and his team who did a great job in the commissioning;  Mark Stacey, who played a crucial interface role between Todd's construction team and Martin’s Midstream team; and Josh Armet, project engineer who dealt with much of the above ground facilities construction and commissioning work.

In conclusion Martin says:  “Investing in SLP has helped ExxonMobil to maintain important capacity in aviation fuel supply to Heathrow airport and more importantly, supports capacity growth of ground fuels resulting from Fawley’s FAST project which is currently under construction. If we had not built SLP, then Jet fuel would have been placed in the multi-product pipeline that also runs to West London Terminal. Had this occurred we would have limited our capacity  to grow in-land diesel sales following FAST start-up.     

 Our whole company therefore really does benefit from the successful completion of the SLP project.”