Allseas mega-vessel Pioneering Spirit has left its berth at the Maasvlakte 2, Rotterdam, to perform offshore trials ahead of its first commercial operation in the Norwegian North Sea (see video below).
Crowds of people turned out to watch as huge, US$2.7 billion twin hull single-lift installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel sailed out early Saturday.
The vessel, which is 382m-long and 124m-wide, and built to perform 48,000-tonne topsides lifts, is heading to the southern North Sea to perform the offshore trials throughout August. The trials will include a series of test platform topsides installation and removal exercises under varying weather conditions.
After the successful completion of offshore trials, Pioneering Spirit, which is also designed to lift jackets weighing up to 25,000-tonne, is expected to sail north to the Yme field, offshore Norway, to remove the 13,500-tonne Yme mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) for Repsol.
Following removal of the Yme platform, Pioneering Spirit will return to Rotterdam where the remaining four topsides lifting beams will be installed for the Shell Brent Delta topsides removal, scheduled for the summer of 2017.
The vessel, a concept few thought could be realized since its creation in 1987, was built in South Korea.
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Shell updates decommissioning plan
2015 photo tour aboard the Pioneering Spirit
Image: Pioneering Spirit with 12 of its 16 lifting beams installed and ready for sailaway for offshore trials. Photo from Allseas.
Video: Pioneering Spirit sets sail for southern North Sea.
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