Allseas picked to play ‘key role’ in North Sea gas development

Offshore contractor Allseas has been hired by ONE-Dyas, a Dutch E&P company, to provide its offshore engineering expertise for a gas field development in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.

Allseas reported last week that it would play “a key role in the largest Dutch investment in a natural gas development in the last 15 years,” thanks to a new deal with ONE-Dyas for the N05A gas field development in the Dutch North Sea.

Following the final permits for the development of the N05-A gas field from 3 June 2022, ONE-Dyas, together with partners EBN and Hansa Hydrocarbons, made a final investment decision in September 2022 for the development of this field, revealing an investment of more than EUR 500 million (about $482 million).

A few months later, HSM Offshore won a contract to build the N05-A gas production platform. This platform will run entirely on renewable energy from the nearby Riffgat offshore wind farm in the German North Sea.

Allseas explains that this project will utilise its pipelay expertise to meet the tight timeframe, as the first natural gas from the N05-A platform is expected to be delivered to Dutch and German households by the end of 2024.

With natural gas being considered one of the mainstays of global energy and a critical component in a stable transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy to reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality, Allseas outlines that its first vessel, Lorelay, will execute the pipeline installation and burial scope, “36 years after her North Sea debut. In that time, she’s laid 9,000 kilometres of pipe – half in the North Sea.”

With the production hub expected to be powered by offshore wind, this project aims to accelerate the production of reliable Dutch energy in the North Sea, underlines Allseas, while adding that this makes the project “the cleanest gas production development in the North Sea.”

Pieter Heerema, Allseas’ President, remarked: “It’s great to be involved in an energy project with such strategic importance for the Netherlands. With the installation of this pipeline, Allseas contributes to the still growing need for safe, reliable and affordable energy supply in the Netherlands. We’re always happy to work in Dutch waters with Dutch parties!”

The N05-A project is part of the so-called GEMS area, an area approximately 20 to 100 kilometres north of the Ems estuary. The expected volume to be produced from the N05-A field and surrounding prospects is 4.5 to 13 billion Nm3.

Regarding Allseas’ recent activities, it is worth noting that the firm secured a contract in December 2022 with Aker BP for the delivery of offshore transport and installation (T&I) services for a new processing platform topsides facility.