Teekay has bid a “final farewell” to the Petrojarl Banff FPSO, which has now arrived in Denmark for decommissioning.
The vessel, which has spent months moored at Kishorn Port on the west coast of Scotland, completed its voyage to Frederikshavn earlier this week.
There, the Banff FPSO will undergo “green” recycling at the Modern American Recycling Services Europe (MARS) quayside, expected to take 12 months.
Teekay said: “For many who have worked on the vessel over her 21-years in operation in the rough waters of the North Sea, May 8 marked a final milestone for the affectionately called ‘Old Lady’ as she arrived at her destination.”
Her final journey, which began on Sunday, May 2, saw the “Old Lady” towed around Scotland, passing north of her original Central North Sea field position, past the south coast of Norway, around the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, and, finally, to Frederikshavn in Denmark.
The vessel arrived on May 8, a day ahead of schedule thanks for favourable weather conditions.
Teekay said the MARS facility was chosen following a competitive tender process, with several recycling facilities to meet its “stringent requirements”.
The company will have representatives on-site to ensure the Banff FPSO is decommissioned in compliance with EU regulations, as well as its own policies which “go above and beyond the Hong Kong Convention”.
Built in 1997, the FPSO was stationed at the Banff and Kyle fields operated by CNR International, 118miles off Peterhead, during its production life.
The 390-foot-long vessel arrived at Kishorn for temporary mooring back in September, joining the Voyageur Spirit FPSO, while a dismantling site was chosen.
Kishorn itself has ambitions to become a site for FPSO decommissioning and has recently been granted an extension to its 160-metre drydock to accommodate this.
Doing so will help it meet conditions to be put on an EU list of approved ship recycling sites going forward.
In 2020, the MV Kaami, a Norwegian cargo ship which scuttled on the west coast, was decommissioned at Kishorn because it was an emergency situation and the port was the closest, safest location.
Aside from decommissioning, owner Kishorn Port Limited has its eye on offshore wind manufacturing projects, particularly as the industry prepares for the awards for the ScotWind leasing round later this year.