“BOS Shelf LLC” was established in 2001 for the purpose of construction and installation of offshore platforms and deep water jackets for the development of offshore oil and gas fields. In that year, Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) signed an agreement with BOS Shelf for the construction of deep water jackets within full development of Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG), the largest oil and gas project in the history of Azerbaijan, as well as support blocks for the Chirag oil project. Both projects were successfully implemented in 2005-2012 in accordance with international standards.
In 2012, BOS Shelf became the main operator of the Heydar Aliyev Baku Deep Water Jackets Factory and carried out large-scale modernisation work to boost the plant’s production capacity.
In 2013, BOS Shelf signed an agreement with BP on the installation of deep water jackets for Shah Deniz 2, one of the complicated projects of the world gas field development. Despite the technical complexity of the project, the BOS Shelf team was able to complete the bulk of the work by March, which was ahead of schedule.
In August 2020, BOS Shelf completed the construction of the largest underwater structure in the history of SOCAR, both in terms of size and weight. The total weight of the support block is 16,000 tonnes, and the height of the diaphragms is 187 m. The Garabagh field’s jacket built by BOS Shelf for oil and gas exploration and production was launched at the Heydar Aliyev Baku Deep Water Jackets Factory. President Ilham Aliyev attended the ceremony. The jacket was made in the form of a grid-type metal structure to support the upper part of the platform and the deck to be installed in the Karabakh field.
Supply Base
In 2015, BOS Shelf took over the management of BP’s largest supply base in the region. Within the framework of this cooperation, BOS Shelf has expanded its scope of activities with a strategically important task, such as the transportation and storage of all cargo in the territory of Azerbaijan. With the signing of this agreement, BOS Shelf has become one of the few companies in the country’s energy sector that combines several important functions. All storage facilities of the base have been built and are operating in accordance with the requirements of the standards of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom in this area. There are storage areas with an automated and controlled climate for storage of small spare parts and perishable goods. There is also a zone for storage of hazardous materials in the territory of the base.
The total time required for the release of materials from the storage is minimised, which allows most of the stored materials to be sent without delay due to the harmonious organisation of the storing process. In 2019, BOS Shelf began operations in the Georgian market with the signing of an agreement on the management of BP’s supply base in Georgia and the expansion of logistics management activities.
Other projects
In 2006-2012, BOS Shelf also successfully modernised the Istiglal, Dada Gorgud, Heydar Aliyev drilling rigs, and TRB, ERSAI II and ERSAI IV barges delivered from Kazakhstan.
On the 19th of September 2020, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the groundbreaking of the Absheron jacket and four other subsea facilities, constructed by SOCAR’s BOS Shelf at the Baku Deepwater Jacket Factory. During the development of the Absheron project, BOS Shelf applied the turn-key project method for the first time in Azerbaijan, carrying out all Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) work.
For the first time in the Caspian Sea, the Absheron project will use pipe in pipe technology. Specially manufactured multi-layer insulated pipes will be used for the pipeline. Piping works will be carried out by a consortium with the participation of BOS Shelf via the vessel Israfil Huseynov.
The construction works include four main and six auxiliary jackets with a total weight of about 10,000 tonnes, bridges, overpasses, a torch system, submarines, pipelines and modules.
Within the project, the vessel Gurban Abbasov will be upgraded and the Azerbaijan crane vessel will be re-certified for increasing its lifting capacity.
Over the years, BOS Shelf has become one of the most successful companies in the oil and gas construction sector in Azerbaijan.