It has been confirmed that the Foinaven FPSO is indeed heading for the Port of Frederikshavn to be broken up and recycled.
In a post on LinkedIn, a senior figure from Modern American Recycling Services Europe (MARS) said the company has been awarded a major “EU Green Recycling contract” for the Teekay-owned vessel.
The deal includes engineering, preparation, dismantling and green recycling of the 820.87 foot long unit for an undisclosed sum.
Foinaven, which spent 25 years in the North Sea, West of Shetland, has now arrived at Frederikshavn, having left the west coast of Scotland last week.
There had previously been speculation that it was heading to the MARS facility in Denmark.
MARS has said that the project is expected to take 14 months and will sustain 45 jobs.
© Supplied by Marcella Croes-SchalOn LinkedIn, Marcella Croes-Schalken, MARS’ chief commercial officer for all non-US business said: “MARS Europe has been awarded a contract by Teekay Corporation for dismantling and green recycling of the Petrojarl Foinaven FPSO, after 25 years of service in the North Sea.
“The Petrojarl Foinaven is a 250,2m long FPSO. The Petrojarl Foinaven FPSO was commissioned in 1996 and has been on location in the Foinaven area, since 1997. The Foinaven field was the first deepwater development at the west of Shetland. The Foinaven field is situated approximately 120 miles west of the Shetland Isles within the Faroes Shetland Trough. First oil from the field was in November 1997.
“The contract includes engineering, preparation, dismantling and green recycling of the unit. The Petrojarl Foinaven is expected to arrive at MARS Europe within October 2022.
“We are glad that Teekay is returning to M.A.R.S., Europe, in the Port of Frederikshavn to retire and green recycle the Petrojarl Foinaven FPSO in an environmentally friendly manner.”
A touchy subject
Teekay’s decision to decommission the Scottish vessel outwith the UK has previously been met with disapproval.
Atlas Decom, which leases the Inchgreen drydock on the Clyde, took aim at the vessel owner for the decision to send the work to Denmark.
It said that, had Atlas’ site been selected, it would have created 60 “well-paid long-term” jobs in the area, with 30 more to follow.
The vessel has spent months in Ayreshire and finally began the voyage to Denmark last week, with local residents taking to social media to share videos of the Foinaven’s final voyage.
Footage showed tug boats taking the ship out of the port, which has hosted the vessel since August 8.
The FPSO had been on-station at the Foinaven field for BP since 1997.
But a series of safety issues and the ship reaching the end of its design life led the oil giant to remove the vessel this year.
Foinaven leaving Hunterston
