BP hires Saipem for Miller platform decom work

Italy’s Saipem has scored a contract for its Saipem 7000 vessel in the North Sea with BP.

The company has been hired to carry out decommissioning of the topsides and jacket of BP’s Miller Platform in the UK North Sea.

According to the Italian contractor, the Saipem 7000 is one of the most technologically advanced vessels in its fleet.

It is equipped with a dynamic positioning system, has a 14,000-tonne lifting capacity, and is capable of laying subsea pipelines in ultra-deep waters.

Saipem says that the useof the Saipem 7000 for projects such as the Miller Project eliminates the need for additional cargo barges and allows operations to be conducted in a “much safer” manner and in a “less restrictive” weather window.

For 2017, the Saipem 7000 has already been contracted to execute topside transportation and installation, decommissioning and renewable energy projects in the North Sea, Saipem said.