Fossil Energy – Decommissioning
Marine Masters has completed its offshore scope for the decommissioning of the South Angsi Alpha (SAA) platform, operated by Hibiscus Oil & Gas Malaysia.
The campaign marks a major milestone in the repurposing of retired offshore infrastructure, with the platform’s substructure now resting on the seabed as part of Malaysia’s largest rig-to-reef project.
The SAA platform, located 130 km off the coast of Terengganu, was a 4,000 MT, four-legged Mobile Offshore Application Barge (MOAB) that operated as a full production facility for over 15 years. After production ceased, the topside and substructure were prepared for safe removal and partial reefing in accordance with Malaysian regulatory approvals. This represents the largest platform ever to be decommissioned and repurposed within Malaysian waters.
Marine Masters was overall responsible for the removal of the MOAB by making use of the reversed installation method and the removal of various associated components for safe onshore disposal. The jacket was cut at -55 meters LAT and vertically separated, allowing the sections to be laid on the seabed as artificial reef structures. Additional tasks included the recovery of all 13 conductors, the retrieval of four MOAB support legs, and the cutting and transport of the Wellhead Access Platform.
For this reason, multiple cutting edge techniques have been used and special procedures developed to perform remotely operated underwater cutting (assisted by ROV’s), high speed PVL hand cutting (by divers), set up efficient personnel transfer between the work barge and the MOAB up to custom designed lifting systems to avoid the use of expensive heavy lift vessels.
The MOAB topside has been successfully skidded ashore at Labuan Shipyard, and all loose items have been offloaded. The ENA WB400 accommodation work barge was demobilized at the same time, while the two transport barges are currently heading to their respective demobilization ports. This marks the end of Marine Masters’ active offshore operations on the project. Although the offshore scope is finished, the project continues with the final handling and disposal of the topside components.
