Valhall QP Platform Removal

Engineering, preparation, removal & disposal of the original Valhall QP accommodation platform (topsides, jacket and bridge) from the Norwegian North Sea.

Company : Aker BP

Location : North Sea, 280 km off the Norwegian Coast

Removal : 2019 (topsides & bridge), 2021 (jacket)

70 m

Water depth

Scope of work

Engineering, preparation, removal & disposal (EPRD) of 3800-tonne accommodation topsides (QP) & connecting QP-DP bridge
Pre-lift preparation work (incl. underdeck scaffolding & removal of obstructions under cellar deck for access to lift points, installation of shear brackets and uplift restrainers on legs, cutting & removal of caissons, removal of bridge obstructions, installation of bridge pivot guide, NDT critical joints)
Cutting of grouted platform legs
Design & fabrication of TLS yokes interfaces, navigational aid & grillages
Design & fabrication of X & Y stoppers’ interfaces (for lift yokes) to suit bottom of cellar deck (without adding steel to the topsides)
Transfer of topsides from Pioneering Spirit to cargo barge & load-in to disposal yard (Stord, Norway)

3800-tonne

accommodation topsides (QP)

Specials & challenges

First job for Pioneering Spirit under frame agreement with Aker BP to provide transport, installation, and removal services for the Valhall oil field
Lightest offshore lift operation for Pioneering Spirit’s Topsides Lift System
First-time bridge removal (using special purpose crane)
Offshore preparations carried out in both “cold” and “live” oil and gas platform environments in Valhall field
Removal of decommissioned facilities from live field
Two years of engineering, planning and pre-lift preparations
Small vertical clearances during topsides removal due to small air gap (15.4 m to LAT) with Pioneering Spirit at maximum draught of 27 m
Small horizontal clearances between TLS and platform (small platform results in lift points close to legs and caissons)
Jacket removal in 2 sections with the 5000-tonne crane using in-house spreader bar & clamp system

27 m

Pioneering Spirit at maximum draught

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