THE WORLD’s largest construction vessel has arrived in Lerwick as the decommissioning of the Ninian Northern oil platform reaches its next phase.
The huge Pioneering Spirit arrived at Dales Voe in the early hours of Friday morning carrying the 8,500 tonne, 83 metre high steel jacket from the platform following removal in a single lift from the field, 100 miles north-east of the islands.
The Pioneering Spirit carrying the 8,500 tonne jacket of the Ninian Northern oil platform.Her arrival was originally scheduled for last weekend, but there were some delays.
Like the Ninian Northern topside in August 2020, the jacket will be removed in a single lift and transferred ashore at the base via the barge Iron Lady in a complex operation that will take several days.
The jacket will be dismantled and recycled over approximately eight months by Veolia/Peterson.
Lerwick Port Authority chief executive Calum Grains said: “The size of the jacket and the scale of the support fleet is another demonstration of the harbour’s established capacity to handle large – and even bigger – decommissioning projects.”
The eight-legged platform, a drilling and production facility, was installed in 1978 and in production in 1980. Output ceased in 2017.
The port authority’s development of the Dales Voe pad was backed by the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Bank of Scotland.
More to follow…
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