Milestone moment for one of North Sea’s largest decommissioning projects

Energy giant Taqa has completed one of the final stages in the decommissioning of an iconic North Sea oil platform.

More than 36,000 tonnes of material will be removed and recycled over the coming 18 months following the topside removal of the Brae Bravo platform.

Over its 33-year lifetime, Brae Bravo produced more than 500 million barrels of oil equivalent and is widely recognised within the industry as an iconic asset in the pioneering Brae fields.

The topside removal marks the completion of two successful ground-breaking campaigns with HAF, the Heerema Marine Contractor and AF Offshore Decom (AFOD) consortium contracted to complete the Brae Bravo removal and disposal work.

More than 36,000 tonnes of material will be removed and recycled over the coming 18 months following the topside removal of the Brae Bravo platform. Picture: Coen de Jong

The removal of the upper structures was completed by two of the world’s largest semi-submersible crane vessels, Thialf and Sleipnir. At its peak, up to 500 people worked on the project totalling nearly 400,000 man-hours.

Campaign one, using Thialf, prepared the platform for removal and removed the cranes and helideck. Campaign two saw the return of Sleipnir to remove the remaining modules and transport them to a dismantling yard.

Donald Taylor, Taqa managing director for Europe, said: “The Brae Bravo decommissioning project is a landmark moment for both Taqa and the North Sea offshore industry.

“The scale of this engineering feat cannot be overstated. Despite the challenges faced by the on and offshore teams as a result of the pandemic, this was completed on schedule and without any major incidents recorded.

“Decommissioning and late-life management of offshore assets will play a major role in our journey to a lower carbon future.”

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