Bibby Offshore Strikes Dunlin Decom Deal with Fairfield Energy

Fairfield Energy has awarded Bibby Offshore a contract for the subsea infrastructure decommissioning (SID) of the Greater Dunlin Area.

Bibby Offshore has been awarded the contract with a consortium of companies including The Port of Cromarty Firth.

The scope of the contract includes the subsea infrastructure associated with the Osprey and Merlin subsea fields and other infrastructure tied back to the Dunlin Alpha Platform. These scopes were defined in the Decommissioning Programmes approved by OPRED, the Offshore Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning, in December.

The SID contract, which has been awarded on an EPRD (engineering, preparation, removal and disposal) basis, marks an important phase in the decommissioning of the Greater Dunlin Area.

John Wiseman, Fairfield Energy’s managing director, said “Awarding this contract sets the benchmark for EPRD contracting in the subsea decommissioning arena. We look forward to partnering with Bibby Offshore and the wider consortium through the safe, environmentally sound and cost-effective execution of the subsea infrastructure decommissioning phase of the project.”

Howard Woodcock, Bibby Offshore’s chief executive, said: “This is a significant award, not just for our business but in terms of the subsea sector as a whole.  We are delighted to be working with Fairfield on the Greater Dunlin Area Decommissioning Project and would like to thank them for their support and patience throughout our recent recapitalisation process.”

The three-year contract, which has a multi-million pound value, has an initial execution window of two years for offshore activities.  The engineering work is due to start immediately, with offshore mobilisation expected in April 2018.

All materials transported onshore to the Port of Cromarty Firth will be broken down into transferable loads before being transported to the appropriate disposal and recycling locations. These activities will be completed within 12 months of the last offshore shipment arriving in port.

The award of the contract marks the first decommissioning project secured by the Port of Cromarty Firth, adding additional capability to the facility.