An FPSO for the former BP Foinaven field is now leaving Scottish shores, with residents capturing footage of the ship departing.
Residents have flocked to social media to share pictures of the Foinaven FPSO departing Hunterston after spending months at the port in Ayrshire.
Energy Voice understands the vessel is destined for Denmark, though owner Teekay has not confirmed this.
Footage shows tug boats taking the ship out of the port, which has hosted the vessel since August 8.
Some residents of nearby Fairlie have taken to social media to say “Bon Voyage!”
Coastguard station officer Luigi Gioretti shared footage and video of the ship departing, which is now in open water.
Old BP vessel
The FPSO had been on-station at the Foinaven field for BP since 1997 before a series of safety issues and the ship reaching the end of its design life led to BP deciding to remove the vessel last year.
The decision on the dismantling of the vessel lies with Teekay – though BP chose Hunterston on Scotland’s west coast for the small contract to remove its signage.
That led to some £40m of contracts going to UK suppliers, BP said.
However, once at Hunterston, the FPSO stirred some controversy.
Residents decried intervals of black smoke and noise pollution from the vessel, and in particular a lack of dialogue from owner Teekay.
Last month, a Teekay spokesperson said the departure was “imminent” pending certain permits and approvals being granted.
The decision to decommission the ship elsewhere also caused some concerns from a local supplier.
Atlas Decom, which leases the nearby Inchgreen drydock on the Clyde, took aim at Teekay for the decision to take the work to Denmark.
It said that, has Atlas’ site been selected, it would have created 60 “well-paid long-term” jobs in the area, with 30 more to follow.
Jim McSporran, port director for Hunterston Parc, said: “We have received confirmation that the handover of the vessel, back to its owners Teekay Corporation, has now been successfully completed. We wish its crew a safe onward journey to its final destination.
“Hunterston Parc continues to demonstrate it can deliver efficient berthing and layup facilities to the energy sector. We are open and ready to welcome many other projects in the near future.”