Decommissioning boost for Shetland as North Sea structures arrive in port
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A former North Sea gas platform is being decommissioned in Shetland after arriving at Dales Voe this week.
Project bosses say around 97 per cent of the 2500 tonnes of materials will be reused or recycled, adding to the sustainability of the offshore sector.
The work is in addition to a number of ongoing decommissioning projects taking place at the Lerwick port, which is aiming to become a centre of excellence for North Sea decommissioning.
Two structures making up Spirit Energy's ST-1 platform arrived at the port facility on Monday, July 15, ready for decommissioning by strategic partners Veolia and Peterson.
ST-1, comprising a 45-metre high, 1300-tonne steel jacket and 1200-tonne topside modules, was originally installed in 1994 in the Greater Markham Area in the southern North Sea. Production at the site ended in April 2016.
The topsides and jackets were removed in two single lifts by Seaway 7, the renewables and heavy lifting business unit of Subsea 7, using the Seaway Strashnov heavy lifting vessel.
Martin O'Donnell, decommissioning director of Veolia, 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 80,000 tonnes of materials and created new job opportunities to meet the growing demand for decommissioning.”
Services provided by the decade-old partnership include decontamination, deconstruction, waste management and environmental services, together with associated integrated logistics, marine and quayside services.
James Johnson, decommissioning manager at Peterson, added: “This project is a great showcase of how our collaboration with Veolia is enabling us to provide a full decommissioning service. We are pleased to be involved in the ongoing development of Dales Voe as a centre of excellence for decommissioning for the North Sea.”
Lerwick Port Authority, which operates the facilities at Dales Voe, said the project strengthened its bid to become the UK's ultra-deep-water port.
Chief executive Captain Calum Grains said: “The Veolia/Peterson partnership’s latest success is another significant milestone in Lerwick Harbour’s extensive involvement in decommissioning.
“As well as providing employment in Shetland, it demonstrates for the first time that, with the use of cost-effective crane vessels, rather than barge transfers, to move offshore structures, the port can compete well outside our immediate markets in the central North Sea and northern waters.
“The ST-1 project strengthens the case we and others have made for Lerwick to become the location for the UK’s ultra-deep-water decommissioning facility, using this technique.
“What we need now is the go-ahead for the facility, building on our capacity, capability and competitiveness to meet the industry’s – and the country’s – future requirements.”
Lerwick Harbour is currently supporting a number of decommissioning projects, including Buchan Alpha J, Dunlin and Leadon, with the Ninian Northern platform jacket and topsides due to arrive in port early next year.
