Allseas, Kvaerner win Statfjord A platform removal job

Norwegian oil firm Equinor has awarded a contract for the removal of Statfjord A, one of the oldest platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Equinor on Thursday said the Statfjord A platform would shut down production in 2022, 43 years after first oil.

“This more than doubles the expected lifetime of the platform. Now the contract for removal and disposal of the topside has been signed, and the topside will be demolished at Stord – where it was built in the 1970s,” Equinor said.

According to Equinor, the contract for the engineering work, preparations, removal, and disposal of the topside has been awarded to Excalibur Marine Contractors, a company in the Allseas group. Kværner AS at Stord has been hired by Excalibur to dismantle and recycle the topside onshore.

The topside structure weighs 48.000 tonnes. It will be removed from the concrete legs in one single lift by Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit vessel, which will be the weight lifting record for the giant vessel.

“The vessel has never performed a lift this heavy. It currently has a lifting capacity of 48 000 tonnes, equal to the weight of the Statfjord A topside structure. The capacity will be increased prior to the lifting operation,” Equinor said.

When arriving outside Kvaerner’s facility at Stord at the west coast of Norway, the topside will be transferred to the barge Iron Lady before load-in to the disposal site. Kvaerner’s scope of work includes the preparation of the quays, assistance during load-in and the dismantling of the topside.

One of the oldest platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf, Statfjord A was originally scheduled to be shut down in 1999. It has since then undergone substantial upgrading and the platform life has been extended several times.

Since first oil on November 24 1979, the Statfjord field has produced more than five billion barrels of oil and gas, generating more than NOK 1 500 billion in revenues.

“Statfjord A has meant so much to many people. The platform has generated enormous values, many jobs, and a proud history. Shutting down production and removing the installation is part of a platform’s life cycle, and we will make sure that this is done in a safe manner while taking care of personnel and capabilities in a late-life phase,” says Hege Flatheim, vice president for Statfjord operations.

The two other platforms on the field, Statfjord B from 1982 and Statfjord C from 1985, will remain on stream until 2025, at least.

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