FCCU Expansion, Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC, Garyville

Immediately upon award of the Marathon Ashland Petroleum Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) Expansion Project, Performance Contractors Inc. assembled a proven project team. More than 95 percent of the staff and craftsmen on the project had previous Marathon experience with Performance.

Project management, site management, estimating, planning and scheduling, safety coordination and quality coordination personnel attended the kickoff meeting. The team set the following goals for success:

• Zero recordables
  
  
• Zero leaks
  
  
• Beat the schedule
  
  
• Save 10 percent on productivity
  
  
• Zero plant interruption

These goals would have to be met on a major revamp project in an existing operating unit that would end with a very large plant shutdown accelerating the work schedule to 24 hours per days for 28 consecutive days.

The project team took on the challenge with a solid mission statement and plan. The plan included the identification of obstacles that had the potential to stand in the way of success. Once these opportunities were identified, then proactive solutions and risk factors were assessed.

The project team mapped out a game plan that included pre-project constructability and risk analysis to identify opportunities and document solutions. These tools were put in place both prior and during construction with sound communication and training.

Two hurricanes made landfall over two weeks during the pre-turnaround civil work. Performance had a clear and concise hurricane preparedness procedure that was part of the site-specific safety plan prior to the start of the job. They also increased project manpower after the hurricanes and re-assessed the pre-turnaround critical path.