ABL overseeing removal of North Sea L7 gas platforms

April 17, 2023
TotalEnergies EP Nederland has named ABL Group marine warranty surveyor for the decommissioning of the L7 gas field in the Dutch North Sea.

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway  TotalEnergies EP Nederland has named ABL Group marine warranty surveyor for the decommissioning of the L7 gas field in the Dutch North Sea.

The L7 Restitution Project calls for decommissioning of nine jackets and 10 topside modules, including bridge structures, with a total weight of about 17,500 metric tons.

ABL will provide marine warranty survey services for the preparations, offshore lifts, transportation and delivery to the AF Environmental Base in Vats, Norway, for dismantling. And the company will perform suitability surveys of all marine facilities to be deployed for the project, managing the program from its office in Aberdeen with support from its operations in the Netherlands and Norway.

Planning work has started, and offshore operations should take place later this year and in 2024.

TotalEnergies plans to remove the platform structures using a floating sheerleg crane, which will transfer its cargo to a barge in sheltered waters near Den Helder, the Netherlands, for onward transit to Vats. AF Offshore Decom will manage the removal and recycling of the installations.

L7 was discovered in the late 1960s, and various reservoirs underwent development throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Fifteen production wells delivered a total of more than 21 Bcm of gas with a recovery factor of more than 80%, with operations ceasing in 2017.

04.17.2023