First Major North Sea Floating Production Vessel Facility to be Recycled of in Scotland : Buchan Alpha Oil Production Vessel Arrives for Recycling with Veolia in Shetland
A 12,000 tonne Buchan Alpha oil production vessel has arrived for decommissioning and recycling in Lerwick, Shetland at being managed by Veolia and Peterson.
According to Veolia it is the first major North Sea floating production vessel facility to be disposed of in Scotland.
A semi-submersible moored floating production vessel, weighing 12,000 tonnes, Buchan Alpha was built in 1973 as a drilling rig and converted for production purposes in Stornoway between 1978-80.
The vessel commenced production in 1981 from the Buchan field, located in blocks 21/1A and 20/5A, and has subsequently also produced the nearby Hannay field. Production ceased, as planned, on 12 May 2017 having produced around 148mm barrels of oil.
The contract for disposal was internationally tendered and awarded to Veolia working with their strategic partner in decommissioning, Peterson, who have a proven safety and environmental track record in the decommissioning of oil and gas assets.
The work will be carried out at the Dales Voe site in Lerwick. Buchan Alpha is believed to be the first major North Sea floating production facility to be disposed of in Scotland.
“This is great news for Shetland and a clear sign of the opportunities available in this emerging market,” said Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse. “An estimated £17.6 billion is expected to be spent in the North Sea over the next decade as mature fields reach this stage in their project lifecycle.”
“The Scottish supply chain is already capturing the majority of value from the decommissioning process, particularly in respect of well plugging and abandonment, but we are now actively supporting the industry, through the £5 million Decommissioning Challenge Fund and the Decommissioning Action Plan, to identify further investment opportunities to capture contracts for later stages of the decommissioning process,” he continued.
“The Fund will specifically help to improve capacity at Scottish ports and increase the economic return to Scotland from a variety of removal, disposal and dismantling activities,” concluded Wheelhouse.
Off-station work on Buchan Alpha has been ongoing, with the primary objectives of cleaning, and reducing topsides weight in preparation for tow. It will initially be moored offshore Lerwick in deeper water where the thrusters will be removed to reduce the draught, allowing it to be moved to the quayside within the next few weeks.
Veolia explained that it will then begin the dismantling of the steel structure to maximise
"We are expecting a growth in the decommissioning market and the Buchan Alpha contract is a significant example of this type of the potential expansion of this sector in Scotland.,” said Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice-President Veolia UK & Ireland. “These offshore assets will now be recycled to give them a second, third or even fourth life creating jobs and investment in the local economy.”
Sandra Laurenson, Chief Executive of Lerwick Port Authority, added: “Recent investment, extending the Dales Voe quay and laydown, and progressing plans for an ultra-deep-water quay as the UK solution to future requirements reflect our commitment to capability and competitiveness as a leader in the emerging decommissioning market.”
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