Allseas' giant Pioneering Spirit heavy lift vessel has completed its first decommissioning job of summer 2020, with a single-lift removal of Shell UK’s 17,000-tonne Brent Alpha platform from the North Sea.
The Pioneering Spirit will now deliver the 44-year old platform to Able UK’s Teesside decommissioning yard in North East England for dismantling and recycling.
"The removal of Alpha is the first offshore lift to utilize our in-house developed “horseshoes”, connection tools that clamp around pre-installed lift points (bearing brackets) mounted on the upper sections of the jacket’s legs," Allseas said.
The Brent Alpha topsides removal project involves engineering, preparation, removal, and disposal of the 94 m tall, 52 m wide structure.
"As with the two previous Brent jobs, Pioneering Spirit will transport the Alpha topsides to a nearshore location off the Hartlepool coastline, where it will be transferred to Allseas’ cargo barge Iron Lady for the final leg of its journey by towage up the Seaton Channel and load-in to the quay at Able UK," Allseas said.