Ampelmann secures new decommissioning project in the Southern North Sea

ABERDEEN -- Ampelmann, the global leader in offshore access solutions based in the Netherlands, has made another step forward in the field of decommissioning with a recently secured contract in the Southern North Sea.

An E-type gangway system has been installed on the Olympic Orion vessel to carry out a two-month campaign for end client Spirit Energy to prepare the Audrey platform for decommissioning.

The E-type is the largest fully motion compensated system within the Ampelmann portfolio. Operating globally, it has enabled more than 300,000 safe personnel transfers in the Oil & Gas (O&G) industry and can perform in sea states up to 4.5-m significant wave height.

The Audrey field project is an important milestone for Ampelmann’s work in the decommissioning sector.

“We have identified decommissioning as a key sector of interest and it’s great to see that there is an increasing need for fully motion compensated gangway systems, not only in our traditional personnel transfer offering, but also for innovative vessel-based life support solutions,” said Lorenz Nehring, Business Development Manager Aberdeen.

In fact, this is not Ampelmann’s first decommissioning project.

In 2017, the company worked together with Boskalis to help prepare for the decommissioning of the Leman platform in the Southern North Sea. With the use of the A-type gangway system, the client was able to reach the multiple landing locations necessary to remove the platform in parts. The A-type also provided a safe escape route in the case of an emergency.

Strengthening its position in the sector even further, Ampelmann recently submitted a concept to the Oil & Gas Technology Centre’s (OGTC) Decommissioning Life Support ‘Call for Ideas’. After receiving positive feedback, the company is now drafting a feasibility study and looking for industry backing.