Subsea services provider DOF Subsea said it has been awarded a contract by Ithaca Energy for phase 1 of the decommissioning of the Ithaca-operated Athena field in the UK North Sea.
Athena is in UK Continental Shelf block 14/18B in the central North Sea (Outer Moray Firth area) at a water depth of 130m. DOF’s scope of work includes the removal of the subsea water column infrastructure that has been used on the field, where Ithaca ceased production in January 2016, with the FPSO departing the field in February 2016.
The contract involves the removal of mid-water arch and risers, and secures utilization of several DOF Subsea vessels, capable of undertaking both moorings and construction work, operating in the Atlantic region during Q4 2016.
“This is a very important project for us,” said Robert Gillespie, DOF Subsea’s UK managing director. “Conditions in the industry are challenging, but the North Sea decommissioning sector is active and we are well positioned to deliver in this market.”
DOF Subsea said it has seen decommissioning activity increase in recent years with the growing focus in the UK and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea.