WATCH: Allseas, TAQA pull off North Sea decom milestone with 11,600-tonne platform removal

October 22, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

Switzerland-headquartered offshore pipeline installation, heavy lift, and subsea construction contractor Allseas has added a new decommissioning feat to its book of achievements with the removal of a platform in the Northern North Sea (NNS).

Allseas secured a decommissioning assignment three years ago with TAQA for the removal of the Eider Alpha, Tern Alpha, North Cormorant, and Cormorant Alpha platforms in what was described as the largest single offshore decommissioning contract awarded in the UK to date.

Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit has now removed in a single 11,600-tonne lift the Eider Alpha platform, which TAQA sees as a demonstration of the scale of planning, collaboration, and technical excellence behind its decommissioning journey.

Sandy Hutchison, Managing Director at TAQA UK, highlighted: “We have reached a significant moment in TAQA UK’s decommissioning programme – the successful removal of our first Northern North Sea platform, Eider Alpha.”

Hutchison claims that this project is the culmination of years of preparation and the first in a series of major offshore removals under the firm’s long-term contract with Allseas.

Removal of Eider Alpha platform

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“It underlines the strength of our people, supply chain partners and our industry leadership in safe, efficient late-life asset management and decommissioning,” added TAQA UK’s Managing Director.

This decommissioning milestone comes shortly after Allseas won the engineering, preparation, removal, and disposal (EPRD) deal for the Brae Alpha platform, which is planned to be undertaken between 2028 and 2032.