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Heavy-lift vessels take the decom load
6/3/2024
8 min read
Feature
The decommissioning of offshore oil and gas rigs and platforms is an established and growing industry that increasingly relies on heavy-duty specialist vessels. Selwyn Parker reports.
As the global decommissioning of offshore oil and gas platforms gathers pace, a whole new fleet of specialised vessels is emerging to help dismantle these giant structures in often hostile seas.
In a few short years, giant heavy-lift ships like Pioneering Spirit have become essential tools in the removal of rigs, platforms and pipelines far offshore. Simultaneously, portside recycling of the offshore structures is turning into a vast industry set to grow for the next 20–30 years.
But it all starts offshore with high-tech heavy-lift vessels. Pioneering Spirit deploys a system called jacket-lift that allows it to remove up to 40,000 tonnes in a single lift and transport it back to port, often without the assistance of barges and other support vessels.