Allseas’ heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit has won a major decommissioning job at Repsol Norge’s Gyda platform in the Norwegian North Sea.
The massive ship will carry out removal of the 18,000-tonne topsides and jacket weighing 11,200 tonnes between late 2020 and 2023.
In an unprecedented move for Norway, the contract includes an option to reinstall the topsides and jacket to another field to be decided by Repsol.
Gyda, in the southern part of the Norwegian North Sea, started producing in 1990 and a decommissioning plan was submitted in 2016.
Repsol is considering reusing the platform as it is in very good technical condition.
Allseas and the operator spent more than a year trying to solve the problem of how to safely take the jacket to shore for disposal.
The jacket was constructed vertically in the 1990s and therefore cannot be loaded horizontally for transport.
As a result the Pioneering Spirit will use a unique lifting system to transport the jacket in a near-vertical position at 60 degrees.
The contract also includes an option for the removal, transfer and disposal of the jacket’s 32 conductors, weighing a total of 3,100 tonnes.
Allseas has selected Kvaerner to dismantle and recycle the platform at its Stord disposal facility on Norway’s west coast, if it is not reused.
Pioneering Spirit has been in high demand in the North Sea recently, carrying out the 25,000-tonne single-lift of the Brent Bravo topsides for Shell in June.
The vessel is also due to carry out decommissioning for CNR International’s Ninan Northern platform.
Recommended for you
