The moment an oil rig exploded at Kishorn Port has been captured on camera.
The Northern Producer, owned by Northern Offshore, has been dock-side for more than two years after leaving the EnQuest Dons fields in April 2021.
It has become a well-known sight on the North Coast 500 route – until yesterday when a blast forced the rig to crumble to the ground.
It comes after Kishorn received permission from the EU to break up offshore vessels in April 2022.
This marks the first major decommissioning contract for the refurbished drydock, which was once a construction site for major oil platforms like the Ninian Central in the 1970s.
© Image: Kishorn Ports LimitedNorthern Producer oil rig explosion was months in the planning
The blast took place yesterday morning but had been months in the planning.
The Northern Producer moved into the Kishorn drydocks on Sunday October 8, 2023 after the exit of the Noble Intrepid rig.
A former semi-submersible drilling rig, the vessel had been converted to a floating production facility.
It has been known by the names Nortroll, Ali Baba, and Emerald Producer.
© Supplied by Kishorn Port LimitedAfter the blast, the team at Kishorn Port Limited are now reclaiming the materials used to build the oil rig.
The cutting of the steel is due to take place immediately.
Alasdair Ferguson, a director of Kishorn Port Limited, said: “The blow down went really well and as intended.
“A great job was carried out by Decom Contractors, Liberty Industrial Ltd, and their team and the cutting up of the steel will start immediately.”
Liberty Industrial, a contractor headquartered in Syndey, Australia, is leading on the decommissioning project.
The Northern Producer was built in Norway by Tosvik Framnaes and bought by Northern Offshore, based in Westhill in Aberdeenshire, in 1996.
From May 2009 until April 2021 it was stationed at the EnQuest Dons fields, around 320 miles north-east of Aberdeen.
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