The topside of the Brent Bravo platform was removed from the sea by the Pioneering Spirit. (Photograph: Allseas)
EVER MORE WORK FROM THE DECOMMISSIONING MARKET by Paul Schaap, PAS Publicaties
As more and more operators take the decision to remove their old offshore platforms from the sea, Dutch contractors are increasingly being called upon to take part in a whole raft of decommissioning projects. Clear leaders are Allseas and Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC). At the same time, Boskalis is also becoming more active in this new market segment. Uniquely designed special workboats are available to respond effectively to the new challenges from this sector. As in the market for offshore installation work, in the decommissioning market, too, boundaries are forever being pushed. As in previous years, the single-lift installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel Pioneering Spirit operated by Allseas once again attracted most attention in 2019, with a series of spectacular platform topside removals. This was certainly the case on 18 June, when the 25,000-tonne Brent Bravo topside was removed from the British Brent field in the North Sea. The single-lift removal of this giant topside took four hours, while the lift itself lasted only nine seconds. The Brent Bravo is the second of four topsides to be decommissioned and removed from the Brent oil and gas field, following on from the 18
NETHERLANDS SUPPLIERS CATALOGUE 2020
24,200-tonne Brent Delta, in 2017. This topside was 125 metres tall and 70 metres wide. The Pioneering Spirit is now set to also remove the 15,000-tonne Brent Alpha topside and the 27,500-tonne Brent Charly topside from the Brent field, as well as the Brent Alpha jacket. The Brent Bravo topside was removed just a few days after the Pioneering Spirit had lifted the 3,800-tonne topside from the Valhall QP platform, in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. This in fact was the first job undertaken by Allseas as part of the framework agreement with Aker BP. This single-lift operation lasted just two hours, with
