Subsea Compression and the Ormen Lange Moon Landing

The inauguration of a world-record subsea compression system in Norway in August 2025 marked a pioneering leap in engineering. Yet according to OneSubsea CEO Mads Hjelmeland and Project Director at Shell, Richard Crichton, its success hinged on one key ingredient: the close collaboration between operator Shell and the delivery alliance of OneSubsea, Subsea7, and Aker Solutions.

This collaborative culture was put to its ultimate test in early 2023, at a test facility on Horsøy, an island outside Bergen. Here, the engineering team gathered for the first full-power run of the Ormen Lange Phase 3 subsea compression system. It was a pivotal moment in the multi-billion-dollar project, the culmination of five years of intensive work since the contract was awarded in October 2019. A massive 800-tonne compression station, submerged in a test pit, were connected to a simulator designed to mimic the 120-kilometer distance from the onshore gas plant at Nyhamna.

“The tension level in the room was quite high as we prepared to press the button for the first time. When we did and nothing happened, the anxiety rose even more,” said Mads Hjelmeland, CEO of OneSubsea.

That tense moment became emblematic of the Ormen Lange Phase 3 project. The resolution