Oceaneering awarded multi-well North Sea decommissioning campaign
Offshore staff
DEN HAAG, the Netherlands – Six operators of fields in the Dutch North Sea have signed a joint well decommissioning agreement with Oceaneering Services.
This concerns Mud Line Suspension (MLS) wells drilled for exploration purposes, but which were not converted to producers.
According to Nexstep, the Dutch National Platform for Re-use & Decommissioning, it will be the first time that wells with so many different operators will be removed in one campaign.
The six companies are NAM, Neptune Energy, ONE-Dyas, Petrogas E&P, TotalEnergies EP Nederland, and Wintershall Noordzee.
Preparation for a first joint campaign have been under way for some time, with research indicating that larger campaigns offer potential for more efficient execution, costs savings, improvements and learnings, Nexstep said.
The combined strategy involves rigless P&A of 24 standalone MLS wells and more could be added. These are said to be easier to remove than wells connected to a platform.
Oceaneering will start preparations for the well/seabed survey. Vessel-based decommissioning will include removal of protective structures, temporary abandonment caps and oil-based well fluids; setting cement plugs in casing or annuli; cutting and retrieving conductors; and disposal of waste.
The joint campaign will take place over the next two years and should finish by the end of 2023.
01/21/2022
