DECOMMISSIONING & ABANDONMENT
Ninian Northern Jacket Arrives at Lerwick for Decommissioning
Lerwick, Shetland: Pioneering Spirit, the world’s largest construction vessel, arrives in Dales Voe with the 8,500 tonne Ninian Northern jacket for decommissioning. © Rory Gillies/Shetland Flyer Aerial Media.
The second phase of a decommissioning project is underway at Lerwick with the arrival at the deep-water Shetland port of the Ninian Northern production platform jacket from the northern North Sea.
The 8,500 tonnes, 83-metre-high steel structure was delivered by Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit, following removal in a single lift from the field, 100 miles north-east of the islands.
She went directly to Lerwick Port Authority’s Dales Voe Base – the first time the world’s biggest offshore construction vessel has operated at a quayside in a UK port.
Using her 5,000-tonne capacity crane, Pioneering Spirit initially lifted steel support structures, used in delivering the Ninian Northern platform topside for decommissioning in 2020, onto a
barge for removal and re-use, clearing the way for the load-in of the jacket.
The vessel then moved to mid-voe to transfer the jacket via a barge, Allseas’ Iron Lady, to the Base in a complex operation over a number of days. The structure was loaded-in to a heavy-duty pad developed by the Authority in 2020 where the topside was decommissioned by international partnership, Veolia/Peterson, in the largest project yet at the port.
The operation also involved a fleet of support vessels, including tugs, a workboat and barges.
The jacket will be dismantled and recycled over approximately eight months by Veolia/Peterson.
“The size of the jacket and the scale of the support fleet is another demonstration of the harbour’s established capacity to handle large – and even bigger – decommissioning
projects,” Port Authority Chief Executive, Captain Calum Grains, said.
“So, too, is the scope to accommodate the 382-metres long and 124-metres wide Pioneering Spirit in maneuvering in the voe and operating directly at the Base, a significant milestone for Lerwick and the UK industry.
“That ability, and the competitiveness of the UK decommissioning and renewables industries, will be further enhanced by our project for an Ultra-Deep-Water Quay at Dales Voe, which we are continuing to progress.”
The eight-legged platform, a drilling and production facility, was installed in 1978 and in production in 1980. Output ceased in 2017.
The Port Authority‘s development of the Dales Voe pad was backed by the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Bank of Scotland.
May 2022
www.sosmagazine.biz 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52