Well decommissioning specialist Well-Safe Solutions has secured two contracts with North Sea operators worth $25 million (£19.8m).
The two contracts, with Spirit Energy and an unnamed global operator, will deliver around 170 days of decommissioning work for the firm’s Well-Safe Protector and Well-Safe Defender rigs in 2025.
The deals include options for up to 140 days further work in 2025 and 2026, which could be worth an additional $25m.
Well-Safe Solutions said the two contracts will involve up to 230 people working across its rigs as part of a cross-company effort to deliver the well decommissioning scope.
Spirit Energy York decommissioning
Starting in Q2 2025, Spirit Energy will deploy the Protector jack-up rig to decommissioning five wells on the York platform across 97 days.
The contract award comes after Spirit Energy contracted Well-Safe to decommission 15 subsea wells in the Trees, Chestnut and Appleton fields earlier this year.
Well-Safe said the Protector will perform the York campaign, which includes two optional subsea wells, in conjunction with its current contract.
© Spirit EnergySpirit Energy head of wells Nicky Riley said the partnership with Well-Safe will “ensure swift and responsible decommissioning” of the York asset.
The York platform reached cessation of production in 2019, however North Sea operator Petrogas is mulling a potential takeover to progress its Abbey prospect.
Separately, Well-Safe said its Defender semi-submersible will carry out a campaign on at least two subsea wells for an unnamed client.
Beginning in March 2025, the contract will last for 75 days in continuation of the Defender’s current contract.
The deal includes options for an additional two subsea wells in 2025, plus a further three wells in 2026.
Decom a ‘key growth’ industry for the UK
Well-Safe Solutions chief commercial officer Chris Hay said securing the contracts demonstrates the flexibility of the company’s offering.
“As the North Sea continues to face political and economic headwinds, it is heartening to see operators securing valuable North Sea assets amidst a backdrop of availability concerns and units departing the region,” Hay said.
© Image: Well-Safe SolutionsWith approximately 60% of topside and subsea decommissioning in the UK continental shelf (UKCS) set to take place between 2026 and 2032, Hay said the sector is a “key growth industry for the UK and Scotland alike”.
The contract wins come as the Aberdeen-headquartered firm looks to continue its growth and expansion into international markets.
Earlier this year, Hay told Energy Voice that Well-Safe is seeking to double its rig count from three rigs to six by 2030, with work ongoing to bolster its fleet in the North Sea and internationally.
Well-Safe has also expanded into Australia and Malaysia to capitalise on expected growth in decommissioning opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.
With offshore assets across the North Sea moving closer to end of life as the basin matures, Well-Safe is also targeting growth in carbon capture and storage (CCS).
However, Well-Safe director of well abandonment James Richards recently told Energy Voice that the prospect of declining activity in the UKCS will not benefit the firm due to increased competition from other drilling rigs.
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