Petrofac and Saipem to together tackle UK decommissioning job

Oilfield services provider Petrofac has secured a multi-million-pound contract with Saipem to support the decommissioning of a platform in the UK sector of the North Sea.

Under the terms of the contract, the companies will work as an integrated team to prepare and remove a 20,000-tonne topside using the large semi-submersible heavy-lifting vessel Saipem 7000.

Petrofac will execute the three-year project over two phases, with first including the preparations onboard the platform, and then on the Saipem 7000 for the actual removal campaign.

The scope of Petrofac’s contract includes module separation, lift point inspection, lift point installation, riser and caisson severing.

“As our sector pursues cleaner sources of energy, decommissioning is a key enabler for the transition. Supporting Saipem and their customer, we look forward to leveraging our knowledge of North Sea operations and service provision, and 20 years of decommissioning experience to deliver a safe and predictable programme that can serve as a case study for the North Sea’s transition,” said Nick Shorten, Chief Operating Officer of Petrofac’s Asset Solutions business.

Petrofac was also recently awarded a three-year contract extension in support of Repsol Sinopec Resources UK’s North Sea operations.