Swiss offshore engineering company Allseas has been awarded an offshore installation contract for its one-of-a-kind heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit.
The contract was awarded Aker BP for the NOAKA area development in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, approximately 200 km northwest of Stavanger. The contract includes the single-lift transport and installation of a new processing platform with well bay area and living quarters.
The award follows the completion of front-end engineering and design (FEED) work that began in September 2021 to tailor the job to the Pioneering Spirit’s record-setting single-lift capability.
Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit is the largest offshore construction vessel ever built, designed for single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms weighing up to 48,000 metric tons. The ship entered service in 2016 and has already set a number of offshore lifting records, including the world’s heaviest lift record with the removal of the 24,000 metric ton Brent Delta platform in 2017—a record it later broke.
The contract with Aker BP further confirms Pioneering Spirit’s suitability for offshore installation work in addition to decommissioning projects.
The vessel conducted its first installation work in 2018 with installation of a 22,000 metric ton drilling topside for the massive Johan Sverdrup offshore oil field development operated by Equinor. The vessel then set a new lifting record in 2019 with the installation of Johan Sverdrup’s 26,000 metric ton processing platform topsides AND an 18,000 metric ton living quarters topsides. With a combined weight of 44,000 metric tons, the entire operation—from lifting the processing platform to releasing the lifting quarters—took less than 72 hours to complete.
Pioneering Spirit will execute the work for Aker BP in 2026.
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
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...
BP has chosen Allseas to carry out the subsea pipelay work for its ultra-deepwater Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) natural gas project off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal. Scheduled for...
Offshore contractor Allseas has been awarded a contract to install the offshore substation for the Yeu and Noirmoutier islands’ offshore wind farm development off the coast of Pays-de-la-Loire in France....
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
