DeepOcean Completes Decommissioning Project on Dunlin Alpha Platform

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has completed a decommissioning project on Fairfield Energy’s Dunlin Alpha platform on the UK continental shelf. 

DeepOcean removed six subsea conductors and four vertical supports at varying water depths and removed the upper conductor guideframes with an estimated weight of 400 tonnes, together with the design and installation of bespoke clamps.

The entire project was completed within 12-16 weeks from contract award to offshore execution.

“The project required intensive dynamic and structural analysis to enable the removal of the upper conductor guideframes. The scope also required significant shallow-water ROV operations for the removal of the upper guideframe and conductors," says Gary Scott, UK Commercial Manager & Legal Counsel at DeepOcean.Credit: DeepOcean

The offshore work was conducted from the hybrid-battery-powered CSV Edda Freya. Key subcontractors who assisted in delivering the scope of work include Claxton, Machtech, and Global Energy Group.

The Dunlin Alpha installation, located approximately 137 km northeast of Shetland and in a water depth of 151 m, produced its first oil in 1978. In the 37 years that followed, more than 522 MMbbl of oil were recovered from the Greater Dunlin Area, comprising the Dunlin, Dunlin S/W, Osprey and Merlin fields. Fairfield Energy acquired the assets in 2008 and took over full operatorship in 2014, maximizing production during its late-life stage and then progressing its subsequent decommissioning programs.