TotalEnergies picks marine warranty surveyor for decom work in North Sea

Oslo-listed energy and marine consultancy ABL Group has been appointed as marine warranty surveyor for the decommissioning operations at a field in the Dutch sector of the North Sea by TotalEnergies EP Nederland, a subsidiary of France’s TotalEnergies.

ABL Group reported on Monday, 17 April 2023, that it had secured a marine warranty surveyor role at the L7 field decommissioning project, known as the L7 Restitution Project. This project covers decommissioning of nine jackets and ten topside modules, including bridge structures from the L7 field. The total weight of the installations is approximately 17,500 tonnes.

Ashley Perrett, ABL’s country manager in Scotland, remarked: “ABL Group has a long history in the oil and gas sector and vast experience with the challenges and important considerations that can impact decommissioning work. We are delighted to be partnering with TotalEnergies EP Nederland on the L7 project as part of our growing portfolio of work in this area.”

According to the company, it will provide marine warranty survey services for the preparations, lifted removals, transportation and relocation to the onshore dismantling yard located in Norway. In addition, the firm will conduct suitability surveys of all the marine units that will be utilised for the project.

Furthermore, ABL intends to manage the project out of its office in Aberdeen, Scotland and will be supported by its operations in the Netherlands and Norway. ABL estimates its contract value to be approximately EUR 500,000 or about $549,916.

While planning work has already started, offshore operations are slated to take place throughout 2023 and 2024. Based on ABL’s statement, the installations will be removed using a floating sheerleg crane that will transfer cargo to a barge in sheltered waters near Den Helder, Holland, for onward transit to the dismantling yard located in Vats, Norway. AF Offshore Decom will manage the removal and recycling of the installations.

Nicholas Kaczynski, ABL Group’s project manager for the L7 decommissioning project, commented; “Decommissioning of oil and gas fields is a complex task. As a non-productive cost, we fully appreciate the importance of identifying the correct solution to ensure cost-efficiency without compromising safety and quality.”

ABL highlights that the L7 field was one of the first major offshore gas fields on the Dutch continental shelf and initial discovery occurred in the late 1960s while the development of various reservoirs took place throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The field produced over 21 billion m3 of natural gas (about 140 Mboe) with a recovery factor of more than 80 per cent from 15 production wells. After 40 years of operation, the facilities ceased production in 2017.

This deal comes weeks after ABL Group was appointed as a marine warranty surveyor for the transportation and installation operations on several Aker BP-operated offshore field developments located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

Regarding its activities elsewhere, it is worth noting that the firm’s subsidiary, Add Energy, expanded its presence in Asia in March 2023 by setting up a new office in Malaysia, headed by a former ExxonMobil drilling engineer.