New vessel could lead to big decommissioning savings

Allseas’ recent removal of Repsol’s Yme platform was the first job completed by thePioneering Spirit– demonstrating that the world’s first single-lift vessel (SLV) was back on track after a spate of recent delays. The vessel lifted the 13,500-metric ton platform in a single piece.

The dynamically positioned twin-hulled installation and decommissioning vesselPioneeringSpirit was designed in-house by Allseas and built in South Korea by Daewoo. At 382 m (1,253 ft) long and 124 m (406 ft) wide, its pipelay equipment can function in shallow water up to ultra-deepwater. Its tensioner capacity is double that of the world’s largest pipelay vessel. The bow has a 122 m (400 ft) long and 59 m (193 ft) wide slot that allows it to float over a platform and remove the topsides in one lift using eight sets of horizontal lifting beams.

The vessel’s next decommissioning job will be removing the topsides from the Brent platforms, some of which weigh more than 20,000 metric tons.

The “North Sea Decommissioning Market Forecast 2016-2040” estimates that SLVs could potentially lead to almost $12 billion in savings on decommissioning costs, though this is contingent upon a range of factors. Author Ben Wilby said: “The potential impact of utilizing SLVs is huge… This is because it will be possible to complete offshore work in one trip, as opposed to the time consuming reverse installation method that pushes costs up. This will all depend on how successful Allseas’Pioneering SpiritSLV is.”

– Douglas-Westwood

Brazil, West Africa, and North Sea key regions for growth in floater demand

Brazil is and will continue to be the largest market for floating offshore drilling units toward 2020. The last two years have seen a decrease in demand due to reduced exploration drilling and delays in development projects from Petrobras. This can be contributed to cash constraints and the current political situation.