North Sea Platform Contract Goes to Kvaerner

Allseas has awarded Kvaerner a contract to dismantle and recycle three large topsides, three jackets and four bridges from the Valhall and Hod fields in the Norwegian North Sea, Kvaerner reported Tuesday.

“Decommissioning and recycling is a market in growth and a priority for Kvaerner,” Magnus Kise, Kvaerner’s senior vice president for decommissioning projects, remarked in a written statement emailed to Rigzone.

Kvaerner stated the Valhall and Hod topsides, jackets and bridges weigh a combined 33,000 tonnes, adding that the contract includes options for another 5,000 tonnes. The assignment will provide work for approximately 100 individuals at its peak, the firm added.

The Aker BP-operated Valhall and Hod fields began production in 1982, and a new production and accommodation platform was installed seven years ago, noted Kvaerner. The contract recipient added that decommissioning work has already begun for the old Valhall accommodation platform and that it has now won additional removal work on the field.

Aker BP has assigned Allseas and subcontractor Kvaerner to remove and decommission the Valhall drilling and production platforms as well as the unmanned Hod platform linked to Valhall, Kvaerner stated. Under the project, which also includes three jackets and four bridges, Allseas will remove the structures and deliver them to Kvaerner’s decommissioning facilities in Stord, Norway for dismantling and recycling, the company added.

Kvaerner noted that it expects the first structures – the Valhall drilling and process platforms and one jacket from the field – to arrive in Stord in 2022. It anticipates delivery of the remaining structures in 2025. Also, Kvaerner pointed out that method work will start later this year and detail offshore mapping and engineering will commence in 2021.

“Kvaerner has won several decommissioning projects,” stated Kise. “We have made significant investments in facilities, methods and equipment to minimize high-risk manual labor. In this project we will also utilize a newly developed automatic cutting machine for pipes and beams, which will reduce the need for manual work significantly and thus reduce risk. Combined, these measures enable us to handle these types of projects in a safe manner.”

To contact the author, email mveazey@rigzone.com.