Offshore vessel arrives in Shetland for decommissioning
A new Shetland decommissioning facility has received what is believed to be first major North Sea floating production vessel to be disposed of in Scotland.
Decommissioning of the 12,000 tonne Buchan Alpha oil production vessel the facility is being managed by Veolia and Peterson at the Dales Voe site in Lerwick.
“We are expecting a growth in the decommissioning market and the Buchan Alpha contract is a significant example of this type of the potential expansion of this sector in Scotland, said Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice-President Veolia UK & Ireland.
Buchan Alpha is a semi-submersible moored floating production vessel, built in 1973 as a drilling rig and converted for production purposes in Stornoway between 1978-80.
It commenced production in 1981 from the Buchan field. Production ceased, as planned, on 12 May 2017 having produced around 148mm barrels of oil.
The contract for disposal was internationally tendered and awarded to Veolia working with its strategic partner in decommissioning, Peterson.
Off-station work on Buchan Alpha has been ongoing, with the primary objectives of cleaning, and reducing topsides weight in preparation for tow.
It will initially be moored offshore Lerwick in deeper water where the thrusters will be removed to reduce the draught, allowing it to be moved to the quayside within the next few weeks.
Veolia will then begin the dismantling of the steel structure to maximise the recycling rate with the aim of achieving 98% recycling rates.
By Anne-Marie Causer
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