Oil and Gas Decommissioning

Regulator approves removal plans for Brae Bravo jacket

The remains of the Brae Bravo platform, North Sea. Regulators have approved TAQA’s plans to remove a section of the remaining jacket structure at Brae…

AF Offshore Decom announce the successful completion of the Dunlin Alpha removal campaign

On behalf of their client Fairfield Energy Limited, AF Offshore Decom has announced that the significant offshore preparation and removal campaigns for the Dunlin Alpha…

Testing begins for new tool to reduce oil and gas decommissioning costs

Clearwell Technology director Bruce Cardno Energy technology start-up Clearwell Technology has undertaken a feasibility testing programme for a new tool that could halve the costs…

PROMETHEAN DECOMMISSIONING ALLIANCE WITH PETROFAC BEGINS DECOMMISSIONING OPERATIONS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

HOUSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Promethean Decommissioning Company (PDC), a pure-play Decommissioning Operator, and Petrofac, a leading provider of services to the global energy…

Gallery: CNR International and Petrofac emerge as big winners at Decom North Sea Awards

CNR International scoops the “Excellence in Collaboration” award. The best and brightest in the industry were celebrated at the Decom North Sea Awards last night.…

Subsea technology: Achieving a 99% repurpose and recycle rate during decommissioning

Over the past decade, a subsea provider has been growing its decommissioning capabilities across the North Sea. In a project for Repsol Sinopec Resources, it…

Helix Energy Solutions to Buy Alliance Companies to Boost Presence in Gulf of Mexico Decommissioning Space

One Alliance’s liftboats – Credit; Alliance Offshore U.S.-based offshore oil and gas services firm Helix Energy Solutions Group is set to buy equity interests of…

Siem Offshore and Helix extend well intervention vessels deal

Norwegian shipping company Siem Offshore and offshore energy services provider Helix Energy Solutions Group have entered into an agreement for the well intervention vessels Siem…

Equinor shuts Veslefrikk field ahead of decommissioning

Norway’s Equinor has closed down the Veslefrikk oil and gas field in the Norwegian section of the North Sea, ahead of the project’s decommissioning, the…

Decommissioning planning in the energy transition: key considerations

Achieving the UK Government’s target to be net-zero by 2050 will require a collaborative approach from stakeholders right across the energy industry. With increasing political…

James Fisher Decommissioning rolls out

James Fisher has launched James Fisher Decommissioning (JF Decom), its new business line which will support the decommissioning needs of customers in the renewables and…

BP Files Petrojarl Foinaven FPSO Removal Plan

Petrojarl Foinaven – Credit: andrew blagg/MarineTraffic.com British oil major BP has filed a decommissioning plan for the removal of the Petrojarl Foinaven FPSO and the…

Heerema coming back to decommission North Sea platforms it installed in the ’90s

Dutch offshore contractor Heerema Marine Contractors has been awarded a decommissioning contract by DNO for the integrated engineering, preparation, removal, and disposal (EPRD) of the…

Valaris wins UK decom work with Centrica amid clutch of contracts

The Valaris Norway Valaris has announced a clutch of contract awards, including decommissioning work with Centrica in the UK. A six-well plug and abandonment deal…

Repsol Sinopec to dish out major wells contract for Fulmar decommissioning

Repsol Sinopec’s Fulmar installation North Sea operator Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (RSRUK) is expected to put a major decommissioning contract for its Fulmar field out…

First Marine wins multi-million contract with Well-Safe

FMS managing director Steven Brown. Supplied by First Marine Solutions First Marine Solutions (FMS) has announced the award of a seven-figure consultancy contract to support…

Top industry talent celebrated at OGUK awards

More than 900 people attended, either in person or virtually. Pic: The 2018 OGUK awards ceremony The best and brightest of the North Sea energy…

Work starts on £20m capital dredge to reopen UK’s largest brownfield port

In the 1970s, Ardersier – a vast and currently unused port 14 miles east of Inverness – was one of the largest oil rig fabrication…

Neptune picks Maersk for Juliet subsea decommissioning

Maersk Supply Service Forza subsea support vessel. Supplied by Maersk Supply Service Date; Unknown Neptune Energy has awarded Maersk Supply Service (MSS) a contract for…

Neptune Energy resumes Juliet decommissioning

UK-based operator Neptune Energy has returned to the remaining decommissioning work on its Juliet gas field in the UK southern North Sea, awarding a contract…

Ithaca submits Fionn and Causeway decommissioning plans

Heerema removes Ithaca’s Jacky platform in 2021. Ithaca Energy has submitted draft plans for the decommissioning of subsea infrastructure at the Fionn and Causeway fields…

‘Sorry guys, we’re full’: CessCon predicts onshore decom ‘bottleneck’

Lee Hanlon, CEO of CessCon Decom speaking at the OGUK St Andews decommissioning conference. The chief executive of CessCon Decom has warned that a potential…

Heerema’s Thialf Vessel Removes Goldeneye Topside And Jacket

The semi-submersible crane vessel Thialf has removed Shell’s Goldeneye wellhead platform located in the UK North Sea. The giant semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) Thialf owned…

Net Zero Technology Centre launches well P&A collaboration initiative

The Net Zero Technology Centre has launched an industry collaboration initiative that will accelerate the pace at which well P&A technology is qualified and commercialised…

Decommissioning programme submitted for North Sea field

Planning for the decommissioning of a North Sea field which has exceeded its expected life sevenfold is now underway. A decommissioning programme will be submitted…

Decommissioning of Curlew suspended following ‘incident’

The Curlew arriving in Dundee almost exactly a year ago. Oil giant Shell has confirmed all decommissioning work on the Curlew floating production vessel (FPSO)…

VIDEO: Heerema Removes Topside from TAQA’s Brae Bravo Platform

Credit. TAQA Oil and gas firm TAQA said Friday that Heerema Marine Contractors had successfully removed the topside of its Brae Bravo platform in the…

Northern Irish firm Decom Engineering to expand operations with new Aberdeen base

Crowley tugs assist in TLP decommissioning

Crowley’s Ocean class tug Ocean Wind was the lead tug for the tow of decommissioned TLP. Showcasing its capability and versatility in providing total lifecycle…

Wintershall Noordzee launches 18-month North Sea decommissioning program

Offshore staff RIJSWIJK, the Netherlands – Wintershall Noordzee , a joint venture between Wintershall Dea and Gazprom EP International, has started a decommissioning campaign in…

New study reveals key factors for estimating costs to plug abandoned oil and gas wells

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In an analysis of over 19,500 orphaned oil and gas wells across the United States, scholars at Resources for the Future…

UK govt oil revenues fall 70% as price crash and decommissioning take effect

Every port should harbour aspirations for real change

Lerwick Harbour is the principal commercial port for Shetland and a key component in the islands’ economy The future of Scotland’s Green Ports is inextricably…

Aberdeen’s Ardyne extends well decommissioning technology partnership with Equinor

Integrated decommissioning firm Fairfield Decom has confirmed it has ceased trading with immediate effect.

Graeme Fergusson, managing director, Fairfield Decom Integrated decommissioning firm Fairfield Decom has confirmed it has ceased trading with immediate effect. In a statement, the company’s…

Taqa ‘poised for significant decommissioning activity’

Exxon loses to Apache in High Court battle on £100m decommissioning bill

Apache’s Beryl Alpha platform. Exxon Mobil has lost out in a High Court battle against Apache with “far reaching implications” for North Sea decommissioning. The…

Cookstown engineering firm Decom eyes private equity backed growth drive

Decom’s Sean Conway, Matthew Drumm and Nick McNally. A CO Tyrone engineering firm has said it will create 10 jobs over the next 12 to…

Cluster of North Sea decommissioning contracts on the way

DECOM: Ardyne, Dynasty Energy Services Team on P&A Efficiencies

Image courtesy Dynasty Energy Services Ardyne, the Aberdeen and Norway-based fishing, milling and casing recovery provider, has announced a strategic partnership with Dynasty Energy Services,…

Maersk Decom Launches Free Offshore Decommissioning Cost Calculator

Credit: kithanlea/AdobeStock Denmark-based Maersk Decom said Tuesday it has designed a free cost calculating tool for benchmarking decommissioning projects in the North Sea. “Maersk Decom’s…

World’s largest construction vessel, Pioneer Spirit, off East Lothian coastline

The Iron Lady makes her way along the River Forth. ..Picture: Peter Devlin. A REMARKABLE marine operation has taken place off the coast of East…

Pioneering Spirit: Largest construction vessel in world captured on camera during major operation in Forth

Many, including David Collins and Brian Finch, caught the event on camera when the Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit travelled across the Forth to transfer its cargo…

Petronas Unit Awards Celtic Sea Decom Contract

A unit of Petronas has awarded HydraWell a multi-year contract to support a decommissioning project. PHOTO SOURCE: HydraWell Petronas (KLSE: PETGAS) subsidiary PSE Kinsale Energy…

Hiretech Investment Adds Nitrogen Pumps To Rental Offering

Hiretech Limited is further expanding its rental fleet offering with the addition of two 180k Zone 2 nitrogen pumping unitsas part of a £1million CAPEX…

Alpha Petroleum submits decommissioning plans for North Sea platform

Aker Solutions Awarded Work to Recycle Offshore Platforms in Norway

March 18, 2021 – Aker Solutions has signed a sizeable(1) letter of intent with Heerema Marine Contractors for decommissioning work related to the Heimdal and…

Equinor awards contracts for North Sea decommissioning work

The Veslefrikk platform has been operating since 1989 (source: Equinor/Øyvind Hagen) Norwegian energy company Equinor has awarded Netherlands-based Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) contracts for removal,…

World’s largest ship gets lifting-system upgrade

A new jacket-lifting system is being installed on the stern of Pioneering Spirit to enhance its lifting capability (source: Allseas) Allseas will upgrade the heavy-lift…

Supply chain webinar launches new decommissioning framework contract

The webinar will be held next month and is part of the company’s ongoing engagement with the supply chain as it drives forward its decommissioning…

Well Plugging Starts in Pioneering North Sea Field

Plugging operations began last month in conjunction with the planned shutdown of the Veslefrikk field. PHOTO SOURCE: Øyvind Hagen/Equinor Plugging operations began last month in…

Reflex Marine Focused on Increasing Safety in Offshore Decommissioning

Reflex Marine continue to share knowledge and improve standards of safety across the offshore industry with their series of live webinars. In February, they explore…

California Decommissioning Project Hits Oil Well Abandonment Milestone

(Source: California State Lands Commission) Your browser does not support the audio element. The state of California recently hit a milestone in a decommissioning project…

Petrofac secured decommissioning contract with PTTEP in Australia

Petrofac Offshore engineering specialist Petrofac has secured a well project management contract with PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) for operations in Australia. Under the contract,…

Harbour is quay to a new era

Work underway, above, on the new harbour. It will be the largest berthage port in Scotland, able to accommodate vessels of up to 1000ft in…

CNR International seeks contractor partner for mass North Sea decommissioning campaign

Decommissioning projects drive utilisation of heavy-lift fleet

Pioneering Spirit employs single-lift technology to facilitate platform removals (source: Allseas) Decommissioning activity was brisk in 2020, led by offshore infrastructure removals in the North…

Ørsted-led consortium researching blade decommissioning

The new DecomBlades consortium will aim to make Denmark a ‘frontrunner’ in establishing recycling solutions within the wind industry Blade manufacturer LM Wind Power is…

The new use for abandoned oil rigs

As offshore oil and gas platforms come to the end of their working lives, the remarkable ecosystems beneath the waves come into their own. T…

SpaceX Will Repurpose Oil Rigs To Build A Starship Spaceport At Sea

SpaceX is planning to use oil rigs to build a Starship Spaceport at sea in South Texas. Tesmanian reminded its readers the goal of SpaceX…

Teekay’s Banff FPSO to be decommissioned in Denmark

Long-awaited UK Government decommissioning paper lacks clarity on key issues

Pioneering Spirit to Remove Two Morecambe Bay Platforms

(Photo: Spirit Energy) Allseas’ giant heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit will remove the DP3 and DP4 platforms in Morecambe Bay off the U.K. for independent…

Spirit Energy gas platforms to be dismantled in Fife

An artist’s impression of CessCon Decom’s facility in Energy Park Fife. A Scottish firm has clinched its maiden contract for dismantling offshore platforms at a…

Montrose positions itself for decommissioning work

MONTROSE Port has strengthened its case for picking up work linked to oil and gas decommissioning activity in the North Sea, writes Scott Wright. The…

Repsol Sinopec hands in decom plans, but offshore work years away

Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (RSRUK) has handed in decommissioning programmes for the Fulmar and Auk North fields to the UK Government. But well plugging and…

OGA launches online resource to help kick-start decommissioning campaigns

The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has provided one centralised location for well data related to decommissioning. The data, which is already publicly available, has…

North Sea operators shelve half a billion pounds of decommissioning spend: OGUK

Petronas subsidiary says decommissioning gas fields offshore Ireland

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 19): Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (Petronas) wholly-owned subsidiary PSE Kinsale Energy Ltd is decommissioning its gas fields in the Kinsale Area in the…

AGR Starts Decom Works on Kinsale Field Offshore Ireland

Kinsale Bravo – Image Credit: PSE Kinsale Energy (File Photo) Energy services company AGR has started decommissioning operations of Ireland’s first indigenous gas wells in…

New tool for slashing well decom costs aces first live test in North Sea

HMRC boosts projected decommissioning tax relief for oil firms by £1.1billion

Decom timing frustrations forcing North Sea firms to look overseas

Well decommissioning campaigns a ‘massive opportunity’, OGA says

Pauline Innes, head of decommissioning at the Oil and Gas Authority. Adopting a campaign approach to well decommissioning in the UK North Sea is the…

Continuing development of decommissioning at Lerwick

Well-Safe secures further £26m to fund growth

Versabar gears up for another crack at North Sea market

In 2012, Versabar’s VB 10,000 lift system installed a 3,500-ton refurbished platform in the first installation operation the system has performed. In 2011 the VB…

OGUK Launches Digital Decom Conference

Industry body Oil & Gas UK is launching its first ever virtual decommissioning conference. Industry body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) has revealed that it…

Enpro Subsea enables safe removal of ‘attic’ oil from Brent Bravo’s concrete cells

Hunting Energy Services, Subsea Technologies division supporting DeepOcean has successfully completed another campaign in the North Sea using Enpro Subsea’s Field Decommissioning (F-Decom) system. The…

Kishorn Port hints at plans to extend dry dock

Kishorn Port. Kishorn port has raised hopes of a jobs boost after it signalled plans to extend its dry dock to cater to demand for…

New artificial reef off Grand Isle sets a record

The tallest oil platform ever converted into an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico is now in place about 50 miles southeast of Grand…

Premier Oil hands in Balmoral decommissioning plans

Chevron kicks off Thai decommissioning drive

US supermajor Chevron has launched a significant offshore decommissioning exercise in Thailand comprising dozens of offshore platforms and subsea pipelines, as the decommissioning sector gathers…

Premier Oil hands in Balmoral decommissioning plans

Decommissioning firm Well-Safe Solutions snaps up second rig

West Epsilon Heavy Duty HE Oil and gas decommissioning firm Well-Safe Solutions has acquired a second rig in a move it claims will spark the…

Super-size Lerwick decom pad takes delivery of its first oil platform

Ninian Northern arrives at Lerwick Harbour Lerwick Port Authority has taken delivery of the 14,200-tonne Ninian Northern platform topside -the first job for the new…

Greenpeace returns to Brent field to protest against Shell’s decommissioning plans

The Greenpeace Ship Esperanza passes in front of the Shell operated Oil platform Brent-C (Charlie). Photo by Carl Shanahan / Greenpeace Greenpeace activists have returned…

Ithaca approved to remove North Sea Anglia platform

Offshore staff ABERDEEN, UK – Ithaca Energy has received approval from the UK’s Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning for its decommissioning proposals for…

Repsol Sinopec calls time on Tartan Alpha after 40 years

Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (RSRUK) has decided to stop production on its Tartan Alpha installation after nearly 40 years, putting some jobs at risk. The…

UK decommissioning costs continue to fall

On the way out: the removal of Shell’s Brent Alpha topsides using Allseas’ gigantic Pioneering Spirit vessel Photo: ALLSEAS Latest estimates from regulator show expected…

Big oil rig scrapping job no trouble for Heerema

Dutch firm Heerema has safely removed the steel infrastructure of an end-of-life Shell oil platform, located in the North Sea. The dismantling job required some…

Sleipnir offshore crane breaks own record for single jacket lift

HMC’s Sleipnir safely and sustainably removed Shell’s 10100 mT Brent Alpha jacket. Dutch firm Hereema Marine Contractors (HMC) has broken its own record a single…

Orca to Provide Dive System Support for Well-Safe Guardian

Well-Safe Guardian – Image: Well-Safe Well-Safe Solutions, a UK-based company specializing in P&A services, has awarded Orca Oceanic Systems a contract for the provision of…

OOS New SSCVs Undergoing Final Touches

The two offshore mast cranes on board OOS International’s semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) OSS Walcheren have been installed and load-tested, while the company’s SSCV OOS…

Curlew – a decom object lesson

The Shell Curlew FPSO arriving in Dundee last year I’m baffled by the Curlew decommissioning saga that will now see the life-expired FPSO be dismantled…

Six-figure boost for budding Fife decommissioning facility

An artist’s impression of CessCon Decom’s facility in Energy Park Fife. Plans to create an oilfield infrastructure dismantling facility in Fife have been given a…

Tech knowhow gives new lease of life to marine habitats

Natural defences: mangroves, such as this one in the Caribbean, help to protect coastlines against storm surges © Getty Images As global awareness of the…

Voyageur Spirit heads to Kishorn after leaving Premier Oil’s Huntington field

The Voyageur Spirit FPSO is on its way to the Kishorn Drydocks after leaving Premier Oil’s Huntington field in the North Sea. Work to remove…

Hiretech Limited Investment Supports Decommissioning Sector

Equipment rental business Hiretech Limited has taken receipt of newly built subsea shears and hydraulic grabs as part of a recent £600,000 investment in decommissioning…

Allseas, Kvaerner secure Statfjord A platform removal contract

YourOilAndGasNews – The Statfjord A platform in the North Sea will shut down production in 2022, 43 years after first oil. This more than doubles…