Shell UK Ltd. has removed its Goldeneye wellhead platform about 100 km northeast of the Aberdeenshire coast in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf.
The platform was installed in 2003 and included five platform wells in 120 m water depth with a direct tie-back via the Goldeneye pipeline to the St. Fergus onshore infrastructure. It was operational as a gas-producing field from 2004. Production cessation was granted in 2011.
The platform was removed by Heerema Marine Contractors using a reverse installation method, starting with removing the 1280 metric ton topside in a single lift. The topside was transferred to the Heerema Thialf semisubmersible crane vessel deck for transportation.
The jacket was removed by cutting skirt piles using Deco Subsea's internal abrasive water jet cutting techniques at -3m below the seabed. The 3019 metric ton jacket was removed and remained suspended in Thialf's cranes for transportation to Vats, Norway. The topside and jacket will be sent to the AF Environmental Base for recycling and reuse. Over 97% of the material will be recycled.
Thialf will now undergo yard maintenance, including modifications to the vessel’s A-Frame to enable it to expand its service area and deliver solutions in the Baltic and the Black Sea regions.