Pioneering Spirit to Remove Morecambe Bay Pair

Pioneering Spirit’s single-lift technology will be used to remove two disused gas production platforms from the East Irish Sea. Final preparations for Spirit Energy’s DP3 and DP4 installations are underway in Morecambe Bay where the world’s largest construction vessel will operate in just 22 m water depth to pull out the two 11,000 tonne platforms and transport to shore for recycling.

This is Pioneering Spirit’s first lift assignment outside the North Sea. Working just 40 km off the coast of Blackpool, northwest England, the strong currents and shallow depths will provide a very different challenge for the vessel’s single-lift capability.

Ongoing preparations include the cutting and removal of risers, caissons and conductors, cutting the platforms’ steel legs, strengthening the topsides and installing made-to-measure lift points. The job includes extensive subsea activities, such as the removal of mattresses, spools, cables and umbilicals, requiring more than 180 separate lifts by our construction support vessel Oceanic.