Two North Sea platforms to be decommissioned at Dales Voe, Shetland

Two installations from Spirit Energy’s ST-1 in the North Sea have arrived at the Dales Voe decommissioning facility in Shetland, Scotland, with works set to be carried out by partners Veolia and Peterson.

The two platforms will be decommissioned and recovered to maximise the value of the materials and assets and ensure the sustainability of the offshore industry.

With a recycling target of 97%, the project includes recovery of around 2,500t of material that will be returned to the industry. Assets that still have operational life will be sold for reuse.

Consisting of a 45m-high, 1,300t steel jacket and 1,200t topsides structure, ST-1 was installed in 1994 in the Greater Markham Area, 160km off the coast in the southern North Sea.

The gas platform comprises a cellar and accommodation unit, a weather deck with pedestal crane, and a mezzanine deck. Production was stopped in April 2016 and the platform was placed in warm suspension mode in September 2017.

Veolia decommissioning director Martin O’Donnell said: “This work follows the successful recovery operations carried out at the facility, and really demonstrates how collaboration across the supply chain can deliver greater sustainability.

“We have already recycled over 80,000t of materials and created new job opportunities to meet the growing demand for decommissioning.”

Subsea 7 unit Seaway 7 carried out the final part of the decommissioning programme, which involved removal of topsides and jackets, through two single lifts using the Seaway Strashnov heavy lifting vessel.

Peterson decommissioning manager James Johnson said: “This project is a great showcase of how our collaboration with Veolia is enabling us to provide a full decommissioning service which provides a better customer experience.

“We are pleased to be involved in the ongoing development of Dales Voe as a centre of excellence for decommissioning for the North Sea.”

The partnership provides various services, including decontamination, deconstruction, waste management and environmental services, along with associated integrated logistics, marine and quayside services.

It provides the services from Lerwick Dales Voe, Lerwick Greenhead Base, Great Yarmouth, and Lutelandet.

Source: Offshore-Technology