Fossil Energy – Decommissioning
Last weekend marked the end of the Miller Decommissioning Project with the removal of the largest SSIV in the North Sea as the final commitment bp made in the Miller Decommissioning Programme.
The structure, which weighed almost 400 tonnes, was lifted by DeepOcean’s Edda Freya Vessel, one of the leading Construction Support Vessels (CSV’s) in the North Sea.
The Miller SSIV, although originally intended to be installed by CSV, was installed by the DB102 (now the Heerema Thialf), which demonstrates the size and scale of the structure. While the installation succumbed to a Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel (SSCV), the removal took place on a CSV due to Deep Ocean’s innovative engineering and fleet capability.
The work scope was completed as part of the wider Miller and Don subsea scope which enabled economies of scale. The contract was awarded to Deep Ocean in a first-of-its-kind contracting methodology in the North Sea.
The contract was a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) which effectively sold the subsea infrastructure to Deep Ocean on the Seabed, rather than transferring ownership on the quayside. This allowed bp’s oversight of this project to take place at a higher level and placed trust in the UK’s competent decommissioning supply chain.
