Decom Mission Leading the decom journey

Last month saw the launch of Decom Mission.

Until now, you’ll have known us as Decom North Sea; the only trade organisation solely focused upon late life and decommissioning. The driver to establish us back in 2009 was the vision to connect the operator and supply chain communities as the North Sea industry’s decommissioning sector began to gather pace.

In reality, that activity gained real momentum rather later than anticipated, but as market conditions changed, and the UKCS’s regulatory context became became better understood over the years, the sector began to develop. Now, as the UKCS decom sector comes of age, it has become one that is rich in experience - viewed by many as a centre of excellence, which offers guidance on best practice to emergent decom regions.

We frequently provide that guidance. Add to the emerging markets of Australia and Brazil the maturity of decommissioning in the Gulf of Mexico, and it becomes clear that the decommissioning industry of 2023 is truly international. “Decom North Sea” worked for many years, now it simply no longer reflects the industry or the ambitions and locations of our members.

In a nutshell, as the whole energy industry undergoes a period of significant change as we transition towards a net zero future, and decommissioning activity accelerates, there is literally no industry body better placed to inform and independently represent decommissioning across the energy sector. This is where our new identity comes in.

In keeping with the evolving global decom landscape and its multi-national membership, Decom Mission is set to establish a network of international hubs in key locations, whilst maintaining the original North Sea headquarters.

And with the continued call for decommissioning services for the nuclear sector in the near term, and the renewables sector in the longer term, our new strategy and focus reflect that emerging business potential.

However, whilst the decom landscape may have developed, the fundamental objective set in 2009 remains unchanged: to signpost the opportunities ahead for our members - to connect, inform and facilitate industry relationships.

Decom Mission will continue to build upon this, and we will lead our members’ decommissioning journey. We will continue to deliver relevant, timely and cost-effective events and networking, alongside a specific commitment to provide members with improved data, strategic insight and focused member advocacy.

That is our Decom Mission. 

Swiss heavy lift company Allseas may have designed the oneof-a-kind hydraulic lift ship Pioneering Spirit for the offshore oil and gas sector, but it is proving just as useful for offshore wind. The turbines that generate power at wind farms are just half the infrastructure of these massive projects; power conversion and transmission are just as resource-intensive, and often require installation of platforms that look - and weigh - almost exactly the same as offshore production platform topsides.

Pioneering Spirit was built to install and remove massive platform structures in one piece, and is perfectly positioned to capitalize on this new line of business. The ship can even place jackets. After the end of the Nord Stream 2 pipelay contract, Allseas added a gigantic rack to the stern of the Pioneering Spirit for use in decommissioning platform jackets in the North Sea. This rigging can be deployed just as easily in reverse to emplace jackets on the seafloor.

Nine European countries have pledged to install 120 GW worth of wind capacity in the North Sea by 2030, and these projects will require lots of heavy-duty converter stations. Given its unique capabilities, Allseas is raking in contracts for the jackets and topsides.

In mid-May, it secured a 14-platform contract for converter installation for the $30 billion TenneT offshore transmission grid project. This is a once-in-a-generation project, unprecedented in its scope.

Last week, it added to the list with a contract from Dragados to install two 13,000-tonne jackets and two 27,000-tonne platforms off the coast of Germany. The 2 GW platforms will support power transmission for the BalWin wind farm cluster, and developer Amprion has stepped up the pace for construction. BalWin1 will enter into operation as early as 2029, two years ahead of schedule, and BalWin 2 will follow the year after.

“The next generation converter stations are substantial structures, similar in size to a football pitch and weighing up to 30,000 tonnes, housing complex and delicate HVDC technology that makes them a good match for our industry-leading installation capabilities,” said Pieter Heerema. "Pioneering Spirit’s large lift capacity and high workability ensure that the installations can be safely performed all year round, creating maximum flexibility in the vast and complex building schedules.”“The dive spread system is designed to work in tandem with the Trendsetter Trident well intervention system previously announced by Well-Safe Solutions in 2022.

“The potential for simultaneous operations with both technologies onboard will unlock even higher levels of operational efficiency, further minimising our environmental footprint 