‘Largest ever’ vessel-based UK North Sea decommissioning campaign wraps up, Mermaid Subsea reports

Mermaid Subsea Services (UK) has performed what it says is the largest vessel-based UK North Sea decommissioning campaign ever.

The project included the plugging and abandonment (P&A) of 21 wells spread across the Northern and Central North Sea over a duration of two years, carried out on behalf of an undisclosed North Sea operator.

The campaign, said to be Mermaid’s largest contract to date, was carried out using the Island Valiant vessel and created six new jobs.

“This has been a landmark project, not just for Mermaid but also for the wider North Sea decommissioning sector,” said Scott Cormack, Regional Director for Mermaid Subsea Services (UK).

“For a company that only entered the UK in 2020 to have carried out, what we understand to be, the largest vessel-based decommissioning campaign in the region ever is a huge achievement, testament to the Mermaid team and further proof that there is space in the market for a new player delivering innovative solutions.”

The announcement follows Mermaid completing the first stage of a three-year-long North Sea decommissioning contract for Shell U.K. Limited. Delivered ahead of schedule, the first phase involved the removal of well heads and protection covers, which were then brought ashore for disposal. The next stage is set to begin in 2025.