WASHINGTON: Independents continue to galvanize the UK North Sea. Alpha Petroleum and Hurricane Energy are among those driving forward new greenfield and redevelopment projects. EnQuest and Chrysaor are taking on management of various mature field centers, while Azinor Catalyst and Jersey Oil & Gas are leading the way in exploration of new or neglected plays. Scotland’s ports will benefit from the associated uptick in stopovers by drilling rigs and support vessels, but they are also preparing for the potentially more lucrative market of offshore decommissioning, with some analysts estimating the costs for the North Sea alone at £75 billion (£97 billion) over the next two decades. Unlike their counterparts in Norway, Scottish ports lack licensed full-scale facilities for platform dismantling and recycling, but some are addressing this issue.
The Port of Dundee, south of Aberdeen on the north side of the sheltered River Tay, is looking to establish the surrounding area as a decommissioning hub. Owner Forth Ports has commissioned Southbay Civil Engineering to design and create an extended quayside at the port’s eastern end as part of a £10-million ($12.9-million) upgrade program, connected to the existing Prince Charles Wharf. On completion at the end of this year, the quayside will be 200 m (656 ft) longer and will be one of the strongest in Scotland, Forth Ports claims, with a landing pad for a permanently installed 1,500-metric ton (1,653-ton) crane to support decommissioning projects.
The project also includes development of a 25-acre yard, designed to attract more specialists in, for instance, IRM services for vessels, jackups and semisubmersible rigs. One of the port’s newest tenants, Motive Offshore Group, recently took on an existing site with a 12,000-sq ft (1,115-sq m) workshop and deepwater quayside access, initially to manufacture and mobilize a 5,000-metric ton (5,511-ton) carousel loading tower with tensioner and other deck items, for client Swan Hunter UK. The completed equipment was due to be loaded out by mid-year for onward transportation to a project offshore Ghana.
