Bergen Group to take part in Ekofisk decommissioning work

Bergen Group AAK has been awarded a framework contract by AF Offshore Decom for delivery of subcontractor services connected to decommissioning and disassembly of topside structures on the ConocoPhillips-operated Ekofisk oil field in the North Sea.

Initially, the framework contract covers the period 2017 – 2018, Bergen Group said in an Oslo Stock Exchange filing on Monday.

As subcontractor to AF Offshore Decom, Bergen Group AAK will deliver services including and related to welding, mechanical and inspections, in addition to other relevant disciplines, such as lifting and rigging.

The framework contract is expected to secure substantial and stable activity for Bergen Group AAK through upcoming winter, the company noted.

Bergen Group AAK, former AAK Energy Services, is a fully owned subsidiary of Bergen Group. It was acquired by Bergen Group earlier this year. The company is a provider of access techniques utilized for maintenance, modifications and operations, typically for work at height or areas with complicated access.

The platform removal is part of ConocoPhillips’ Ekofisk I Cessation plan, which started in 2017 and is scheduled to be completed in 2022. ConocoPhillips recently gained consent from the Norwegian offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), to prepare and begin the removal of minor structures from the Ekofisk field.

The oil company applied for consent to dispose of the Ekofisk 2/4 H, Ekofisk 2/4 A, Ekofisk 2/4 FTP, and Ekofisk 2/4 Q platforms. For now, the consent covers the initiation of preparatory work offshore and the start of the removal of minor structures and installation of the crane on the FTP.

Regarding the removal itself, Offshore Energy Today reported in April that ConocoPhillips was set to award a contract for the removal of Ekofisk field platforms to Heerema Marine Contractors.

At the time, AF Gruppen, one of the largest civil engineering and construction companies in Norway, claimed that it received notice that ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS intended to enter into a contract with HMC for the removal and disposal of platforms connected to the Ekofisk field.

AF Gruppen, a key subcontractor to HMC, said that the contract included engineering, preparation, removal & disposal (EPRD) of four platforms with a total tonnage of approximately 36,000 tonnes.

The field, located some 200 kilometers south of Stavanger, started production in 1971 via the Gulftide platform, and is in production even today, more than four decades after the original discovery.

The Greater Ekofisk Area today comprises four poducing fields: Ekofisk, Eldfisk, Embla and Tor. Crude oil is exported to Teesside, England, and the natural gas is exported to Emden, Germany.

Offshore Energy Today Staff