Floating five-star luxury and it's been built in Lowestoft

The SLP accommodation module.

It has dominated the Lowestoft skyline and is one of the best of its kind in the world.

It represents three million man hours, is nine storeys high and boasts an atrium, gym, “town hall” and sauna.

And this weekend, the luxurious offshore accommodation module built at SLP, in Lowestoft, is due to be tugged to its destination in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

There, it will provide living quarters for up to 180 people and should be operational by Christmas.

Although SLP went into administration in November last year, employees worked hard to ensure the “world class” module was finished to a high standard.

Administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) have hailed the build as a beacon for the skills that SLP has to offer to potential buyers and customers.

As it stands, it is the last project for SLP, but PWC could make an announcement about the company's future in the next two to three days.

Currently, 150 local tradesmen are putting the finishing touches on the module and, in total, 1,400 people have worked on it.

Chris Pillar, director at PWC, said the accommodation gave the impression of a “five star hotel”.

“The workforce have done a phenomenal job,” he said.

“This is a world class accommodation platform, state-of-the-art, probably the best of its type in the world.

“It's currently the heaviest module and most complex ever to come out of this yard.”

Yesterday, workers were covering and securing equipment inside ready to sail.

“We would have gotten nowhere without the support of the workforce, who have got a huge wealth of skills and experience,” said Mr Pillar.

“You can't underestimate how important that knowledge and that skill is to this part of the country, particularly as the opportunities arise from the renewable sector in the North Sea.”

The module has been a dominant feature in Lowestoft and is the tallest point in the town.

It has a helipad and hangar on the top deck and each storey is higher than in most buildings because of the many cables running between floors. In total, 400km of cable was needed.

During the three-year build, staff maintained an exemplary safety record and no time was lost due to injuries.

Subject to weather and tidal conditions, three local tugs will take the module out of Lowestoft and up the coast towards Great Yarmouth on Saturday, starting at noon.

A large sea tug will then take it on to its offshore destination at the BP field centre of the Valhall oilfield, which lies at a point between the UK, Norway and Denmark. The journey will take 36 hours.

The module caters for 175 men and five women and workers will do two weeks on the platform, and two weeks off.



• What's inside?

Each bedroom has an en suite, television and internet access and workers can congregate in a large room with cinema-style seats and a projector known as the town hall.

There is an activity room with pool table, a soundproof music room, a gym and a relaxation area. Smokers can use a small, designated room only.

There is a smaller sauna for women, but the main sauna for men provides one of the quirks of the build - the only window not in line with the others, due to regulations.

When people are ready to depart the module, they can wait in the level eight sky lobby. The spacious dining area in the atrium provides seating for up to 90 people at a time.

Throughout the quarters, photographs depict people at work at different stages of the build, as well as views of the module from various points in Lowestoft.

The first level has stores, workshops and a coffee bar, while the control rooms are on the second level.