Pioneering Spirit Completes Yme Removal
Friday 26 August 2016
Allseas’ giant vessel Pioneering Spirit has finished removing the Yme field's ill-fated platform 100 kilometres off Norway.
Work concluded on Monday, and the platform has been sea-fastened on board. The vessel is en route to a newly developed dismantling yard in Lutelandet, Norway, according to a release.
Removal of the mobile offshore production unit (MOPU), which is being scrapped without ever having started production due to myriad technical faults, marks the debut job for the platform installation and decommissioning leviathan following a successful test lift in the Dutch sector.
"With this platform removal, Allseas was able to demonstrate the unique single-lift capabilities of Pioneering Spirit," according to the release.
Once the Yme job is complete, the vessel will head back to Rotterdam for installation of the four remaining topsides lift beams, in addition to the 12 already installed.
It will then start a lengthy contract to perform decommissioning work for Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell on the Brent field in the UK North Sea, starting with the 23,500-tonne Brent Delta topsides. That job, however, is not set to start until next summer.
Yme was originally discovered and developed by Canada's Talisman Energy, which has since been taken over by Spanish giant Repsol.
Despite the failed development based on the MODU, much of the subsea infrastructure remains in place, leaving some to believe the field can still be developed with a new approach.
Norwegian start-up Okea is in talks with Repsol to complete the sale of the operator's 60% stake in the project.
Okea intends to ultimately operate the field, but must first be pre-qualified as an operator by Norwegian authorities.