Switzerland-based offshore specialist Allseas has announced the safe removal of Shell UK’s 31,000-tonne Brent Charlie platform topsides from the UK sector of the North Sea.
The single-lift removal of Brent Charlie executed on July 9 by Allseas’ heavy lift vessel “Pioneering Spirit” represents the heaviest offshore lift ever performed and concludes years of engineering and planning, as the company informs.
The former production facility will be delivered to Able UK’s Seaton Port facility in Hartlepool, northeast England for disposal, where more than 97% of the materials will be recycled.
As it is reported by Allseas, “removal of the fourth and final Brent platform is a significant milestone in a remarkable project spanning more than a decade, and on all four occasions Shell UK has opted for Allseas industry-defining single lift, motion-compensated technology.”
The Brent decommissioning project comprises four platforms – three concrete-based and one steel jacket.
“Pioneering Spirit” has removed and transported close to 100,000 tonnes of topsides weight to Hartlepool for disposal at Able UK Seaton Port facility.
To date, 98% of all materials from Delta (2017), Bravo (2019), and Alpha (2020) topsides have been recycled.
Edward Heerema, chairman of Allseas, said: “It started in 2013, with Shell’s decision to award Allseas the contract for the engineering, preparation and removal of its four Brent platforms.
“The trust shown then in Allseas’ technical expertise served as a milestone in the 20-year development of Pioneering Spirit. At the time, the vessel was still under construction, but Shell’s belief in Allseas gave us the opportunity to showcase our single-lift technology.”
