Italian oilfield services firm Saipem (BIT: SPM) has awarded Petrofac a new multi-million-pound deal to support the decommissioning of a platform in the UK sector of the North Sea.
Petrofac said the companies will work as an integrated team to prepare and remove the 20,000-tonne topside using the Saipem 7000, one of the largest semi-submersible heavy lifting vessels in the world.
The three-year project will be executed over two phases including the preparations onboard the platform, followed by the removal campaign onboard the Saipem 7000.
The contract scope includes module separation, lift point inspection, lift point installation, riser and caisson severing.
Chief operating officer for Petrofac’s Asset Solutions business Nick Shorten said: “As our sector pursues cleaner sources of energy, decommissioning is a key enabler for the transition.
© Supplied by Petrofac“Supporting Saipem and their customer, we look forward to leveraging our knowledge of North Sea operations and service provision, and 20 years of decommissioning experience to deliver a safe and predictable programme that can serve as a case study for the North Sea’s transition.”
Although Petrofac did not name the platform in question, Enquest awarded a multi-million contract for the removal of the Thistle A platform to Saipem in May.
The Thistle A contract covered the engineering, preparation, removals and disposal works for the asset.
The Saipem 7000 heavy lift vessel will return the 46-year-old Thistle topsides and jacket to shore, though where the structures will go is currently unknown.
Thistle A is located about 125 miles north-east of Shetland in a water depth of 162 meters.
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