Heerema scoops Huldra platform removal deal

Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland will remove the Huldra platform, located offshore Norway, and transport it to shore, while AF Offshore Decom has been awarded the contract for disposal and recycling of the platform.

The Huldra field is a Statoil- operated gas and condensate field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, North East of Bergen. The field came on stream in November 2001 and on plateau the field produced 10, 3 MSm3/day.

The gas and condensate production was closed down on September 3, 2014. Previously the jack-up rig West Epsilon has been awarded the contract for plugging the six wells at Huldra during 2016.

On behalf of the partners Statoil has now awarded two new contracts for removal, transportation, disposal and recycling of the Huldra platform.

– The Engineering, Preparation and Removal (EPR) contract has been awarded to Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland.

– The contract for disposal and recycling of the platform has been awarded to AF Offshore Decom, a subsidiary of AF Gruppen.

According to Statoil, the total weight of the platform is approximately 10.000 tons, distributed over a 5, 000 ton topside and a 5, 000 ton steel jacket. It is expected that more than 95 percent of the platform will be recycled.

The plan is to remove the Huldra platform during 2019 with the subsequent disposal and recycling work taking place at AF Offshore Decom’s environmental base in Vats, Norway within the first half of 2020.

Statoil noted that the platform was being removed according to the Ospar convention, stating that oil installations no longer being used as a main rule should be removed.