Aberdeen-headquartered decommissioning firm Cutting Underwater Technologies (CUT) has completed a major offshore project in Western Australia (WA).
The project formed part of decommissioning work for Woodside Energy’s Griffin field, 40 miles off the coast of Onslow, WA.
CUT said the project utilised its 315 inch cutting machine, which is the largest of its kind in the world, to complete four cuts each totalling six meters in diameter.
These were the “largest vertical cuts ever performed by a diamond wire cutting machine”, the company said.
© Supplied by CUT GroupCUT business development manager Bruce Sinclair said the Australian project underscores the group’s global capabilities.
“To date, in 2024 alone, we have successfully completed 32 projects across six continents,” Sinclair said.
“The Australian decommissioning market demands well-established, trusted, and experienced experts—and CUT continues to meet these expectations.”
Sinclair said the company’s operations in Australia spans multiple clients, utilising its full suite of cutting solutions.
Overall, Sinclair said CUT is finding the Australian decom market to be “very positive” after the WA state government recommended the use of castellated cuts for offshore platforms.
“CUT have exclusive use of a patent for castellated/step cuts,” Sinclair said.
© Supplied by CUT Group“Therefore, CUT is the only diamond wire cutting specialist who can provide the castellated/step cut service.
“The completion of a step cut mitigates against any danger of structural members such as platform legs sliding or having horizontal movement relative to the bottom part once cut.”
Sinclair said the benefit of a step cut is it can provide structural stability, even with the top part of the platform resting on the bottom part.
“Cuts can be done remotely, in air, or subsea, removing the risk of having personnel in the cutting vicinity,” he said.
CUT decom success
The completion of the WA project comes shortly after CUT posted record revenue and project numbers in 2023.
The Bridge of Don based diamond wire cutting specialists secured £5.9 million in revenue working across 43 projects in six continents last year.
Of those projects, 19 were based in the UK or North Sea, four were in Southeast Asia and four were in Australia.
CUT’s recent UK cutting projects included work on the Anglia, Jotun A, TOR and Eldfisk, Valhall PCP and 2/4G, Miller and Don and the L7 project.
The revenue figure reflected a 15% increase from the 2022 results, marking the company’s fourth consecutive year of growth.
Western Australia is proving to be an increasingly attractive market for North Sea decommissioning firms, with an expected spend of more than A$50 billion (£27bn).
In addition to CUT, other Aberdeen-based businesses targeting opportunities in Australia include Well-Safe Solutions and ASCO.
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