Fairfield awards Dunlin subsea decommissioning work to Bibby

Fairfield Energy, an oil and gas operator and decommissioning specialist, has awarded Bibby Offshore, a subsea services provider, a contract for the subsea infrastructure decommissioning (SID) of the Greater Dunlin Area.

The Greater Dunlin Area is located in UK Block 211/23a and 211/24 of the UKCS, some 500km north-northeast of Aberdeen within the East Shetland Basin, and 11.2km from the boundary line with Norway.

Bibby Offshore has been awarded the contract with a consortium of companies including The Port of Cromarty Firth and 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, Fairfield informed on Wednesday.

These scopes were defined in the Decommissioning Programmes approved by OPRED, the Offshore Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning, in December. According to the plan, subsea installations will be removed and recovered to shore for recycling/disposal.

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, Fairfield said.

John Wiseman, Fairfield Energy’s Managing Director, said, “We are excited to be entering this latest phase in the successful decommissioning of the Greater Dunlin Area. Awarding this contract sets the benchmark for EPRD contracting in the subsea decommissioning arena.”

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.”

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 mobilization 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.

Bob Buskie, Port of Cromarty Firth’s Chief Executive, said: “The Port is delighted to welcome its first decommissioning project. We have been preparing and investing to attract such opportunities over a number of years and today’s news is a tremendous boost for local companies and workers. We have worked for many months alongside our alliance partners who are leading the onshore decommissioning to successfully secure this project and we are grateful for their efforts.”