Allseas' revolutionary heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit shows off its new jacket lift system for the first time with the removal of the 8,100 metric ton Ninian Northern jacket in the North Sea off the Shetland Islands. Photo courtesy Allseas
TAQA UK has awarded Allseas the contract for the engineering, preparation, removal and disposal (EPRD) of the Brae Alpha platform in the UK Central North Sea.
Located 270 kilometres northeast of Aberdeen, Brae Alpha has been a cornerstone of UK offshore energy since production began in 1983. The decommissioning scope covers the 33,000-tonne topsides, 13,000-tonne jacket and 34 conductors, with execution planned between 2028 and 2032.
The campaign will be carried out by Allseas’ heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit, supported by the construction vessel Oceanic. At least 95% of recovered materials will be reused or recycled.
This latest award follows the 2022 Northern North Sea (NNS) decommissioning contract under which Allseas is removing TAQA’s Eider Alpha, Tern Alpha, North Cormorant and Cormorant Alpha platforms.
“We are proud to continue working with TAQA on this next phase of their decommissioning journey, which will see the Brae Alpha topsides removed by Allseas’ single-lift capability,” said Allseas’ President, Pieter Heerema.
Aberdeen-based TAQA manages the UK North Sea exploration and production portfolio for UAE-headquartered utilities and energy group Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA). The earlier NNS contract comprises the removal of four platform topsides and three steel supporting jackets with a combined weight of around 114,000 tonnes, making it the largest single offshore UK Continental Shelf decommissioning contract scope to date.
Pioneering Spirit, engineered entirely in-house by Allseas, has transformed offshore operations with its groundbreaking single-lift technology. The vessel enables the installation or removal of platform topsides up to 60,000 tonnes and jackets up to 20,000 tonnes, reducing offshore work by quickly transferring complex activities onshore where they are safer and more cost-effective, minimizing risk, costs and development timelines.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
A federal judge on Monday granted a request by Danish offshore wind developer Orsted to restart work on the nearly finished Revolution Wind project, which President Donald Trump's administration halted last month.
Cesar Lima never gave much thought to the politics of offshore wind. Most days, the ironworker focused on his shift 15 miles out at sea, climbing turbines and watching dolphins gliding past his vessel off the coast of Rhode Island. That changed when President Donald Trump’s administration ordered work to stop on the Revolution Wind project a month ago.
Sept 18 (Reuters) – The owners of Revolution Wind said the Trump administration’s reasons for stopping work on its Rhode Island offshore wind farm were “factually incorrect” and only disclosed after it had ordered a...
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
