Netherlands-based offshore access solutions provider Ampelmann has been awarded a decommissioning contract in the Southern North Sea.
Ampelmann’s E-type gangway system was installed on the Olympic Orion vessel to perform a two-month campaign to ready the Audrey platform for decommissioning process for the end client Spirit Energy.
A motion-compensated system within Ampelmann’s portfolio, E-type is claimed to have facilitated transfers of more than 300,000 personnel in the global oil & gas (O&G) industry. The system is also capable of operating in a rough sea environment, with up to 4.5m of significant wave height.
Ampelmann business development manager in Aberdeen Lorenz Nehring said: “We have identified decommissioning as a key sector of interest and it’s great to see that there is an increasing need for fully motion-compensated gangway systems, not only in our traditional personnel transfer offering but also for innovative vessel-based life support solutions.”
In 2017, Ampelmann partnered with Boskalis to help prepare the decommissioning process of the Leman platform in the Southern North Sea.
Using the A-type gangway system, the client could reach several landing locations required to remove the platform in parts. If there is an emergency, A-type is capable of offering a safe escape route.
Ampelmann recently submitted a concept to the Oil & Gas Technology Centre’s (OGTC) Decommissioning Life Support ‘Call for Ideas’. The company is now preparing a draft of feasibility study and seeking industry support to the concept.
