Damen putting finishing touches to jack-up ahead of its inaugural decom with Petrodec

July 18, 2025, by Dragana Nikše

A heavy lift jack-up is nearly ready for its assignment with decommissioning services specialist Petrodec after conversion undertaken by Damen Shiprepair, part of the Dutch shipbuilding giant Damen Shipyards Group.

According to a social media post by Damen, the self-elevating heavy lift jack-up platform Obana is almost ready to kick off the first operation in the UK sector of the North Sea since its conversion.

Measuring 230 x 30 meters, the Obana was engineered by merging two repurposed jack-ups with a newly constructed mid-section equipped with a 2,000-tonne crane. It is envisaged to undertake the decommissioning of complex offshore platforms offshore the UK.

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In addition to adding 500 tons of steel to the platform, Damen installed two 60-ton cranes, painted the external hull, and integrated key systems, among other things.

According to Dutch Offshore Energy Solutions (DOES), which assisted in the conversion process and provided agency and rental services to Petrodec, the two jack-ups that merged to create the new unit are Brage and Gabrus.

Petrodec said that 85% of the steel used in Obana is recycled, thus reducing the environmental footprint of its construction. Thanks to this, the project is said to reflect the company’s core values of delivering circular, efficient, and purpose-built solutions for the offshore industry.