The removal of the Brent Alpha topside by the Pioneering Spirit. (Photograph: Allseas)
DUTCH CONTRACTORS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN DECOMMISSIONING WORK by Paul Schaap, PAS Publicaties
Once again in 2020, Dutch offshore contractors completed a whole series of complex and challenging decommissioning projects, primarily in Western European and Canadian waters. By deploying advanced vessels and innovative techniques, they have now acquired the leading position in this still relatively young market sector. Above all contractors Allseas, Heerema Marine Contractors and Boskalis have played a pioneering role. They will soon be joined by a new Dutch player in the person of OOS International based in Serooskerke in Zeeland. Just like one year earlier, in 2020, Allseas attracted most attention in carrying out a whole raft of spectacular removal jobs with the single-lift installation/ decommissioning and pipelaying vessel Pioneering Spirit. Having successfully removed topsides from the British Brent field on behalf of Shell in 2017 and 2019 from that company’s Brent Delta and Brent Bravo platforms, weighing 24,200 and 25,000 tonnes respectively, in 2020 it was the turn of the Brent Alpha topside. This topside, weighing 16,000 tonnes, was removed from the sea by the Pioneering Spirit on 21 June, and transported 34
NETHERLANDS SUPPLIERS CATALOGUE 2021
to the Able Seaton Port. Another behemoth removed from the British sector of the North Sea by the same vessel was the 14,200-tonne Ninian Northern topside. This work was undertaken on behalf of CNR International. This particular topside was transported to the Dales Voe terminal operated by Veolia/Peterson on the Shetland Islands. Allseas also deployed the Pioneering Spirit to remove a series of jackets and topsides from the Danish Tyra field. The largest structures removed by the Pioneering Spirit included the 14,000-tonne Tyra East Alpha topside and
