Well-Safe Solutions has installed a new diving spread on its Guardian rig, the only one of its kind in the North Sea.
Custom-built for up to 15 people, the plugging and abandonment specialist said the saturation diving system is unique for a semi-submersible rig in the UK sector.
The Aberdeen-headquartered firm said the system allows safe access to “legacy” subsea wellheads and Christmas trees from the 1970s-onwards which were originally designed for diver intervention.
It provides an alternative to light well intervention vessels (LWIV) via a more standard mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) rig.
© Supplied by Well-Safe SolutionsWell-Safe said this solution results in “lower operating costs, minimises the risk of weather-related disruption and boosts overall project efficiency”.
CEO Phil Milton said: “With 48% of overall decommissioning expenditure in 2022 focused on well abandonment alone, Well-Safe Solutions has identified a clear market in mature basins such as the UK Continental Shelf for this technology.
“The dive spread system installed on the Well-Safe Guardian is a cost-effective, flexible alternative to the industry standard, which typically sees a light well intervention vessel (LWIV) used to plug and lubricate the well before completing decommissioning operations with a standard semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU).
“Our ‘single asset solution’ offers an alternative to the conventional approach and does not require multiple vessel mobilisations and demobilisations. This results in lower operating costs, minimises the risk of weather-related disruption and boosts overall project efficiency.”
The company also said it has data showing using the Well-Safe Guardian for P&A over five wells on three fields generates a 15% cost reduction and is 44 days quicker than using a LWIV and MODU pairing.
© Supplied by Well-Safe SolutionsThe manufacture, transport and fitment of the dive spread took place at Scottish Ports in Burntisland, Rosyth and Methil.
It is fitted with an environmentally-friendly electric bell-handling system and two hyperbaric lifeboats, the system is designed to enable diving operations to be carried out in support of well decommissioning.
Typical operations supported include cleaning, deconstruction, barrier testing, manual tree cap removal, reconfiguration of hydraulic controls and flowline removal.
David Whitehouse, chief executive of industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), said: “This latest development and adoption of technology on the Well-Safe Guardian from Well-Safe Solutions shows an absolute commitment to drive forward innovation to improve efficiency for the plug and abandonment of wells.
“These efficiency improvements will also have a positive impact on safety and environmental performance.”
Elsewhere, Well-Safe has been drumming up success in with its “P&A club” which sees multiple operators team up with them to realise cost efficiencies for decommissioning.
Last month the firm was also hired for work on the BP Kate field.
The Guardian will mobilise in early summer for work on the Repsol Sinopec Buchan field, using the new saturation dive system.
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