- First job for Pioneering Spirit’s Jacket lift system
- Single-lift removal and transport of 8100-tonne Ninian Northern jacket
- Revolutionary vessel is total solution for offshore work
Allseas has successfully deployed its new jacket lifting technology for the first time to remove CNR
International’s Ninian Northern jacket from the northern North Sea and transport it intact to shore for recycling.
Weighing in at 8100 tonnes, the first commercial lift with Pioneering Spirit’s revolutionary Jacket lift system (JLS) is one of the heaviest offshore jacket lifts ever, but remains well within the system’s 20,000-tonne singlelift capacity.
Pioneering Spirit arrived in the Ninian field, 160 km northeast of the Shetland Islands, on 14 April. A week later, after final preparations and leg cutting, the eight-legged jacket was lifted safely out of the water and lowered onto the deck for transit. The jacket will be delivered to the Veolia-Peterson yard in Dales Voe, Shetlands. The facility targets 98% steel reuse.
Yesterday’s lift successfully concludes two years of planning and design, which started with the safe and successful single-lift removal of the 14,200 t Ninian Northern platform topsides by Pioneering Spirit in 2020.
“CNR International’s decision to select Pioneering Spirit for the Ninian Northern jacket removal demonstrates the industry’s confidence in Allseas’ innovative engineering solutions and further reinforces our reputation as a frontrunner in the global offshore energy market,” says Allseas President Edward Heerema.
Fundamentally different to conventional crane-lifting vessels, the aft-mounted system comprises two connected 170-metre long beams that lift and support jackets of all sizes during removal and installation operations. The system also enables the transport of jackets in a near-vertical position to safeguard structure integrity.
This advanced technology enables direct transfer of structures to and from the quayside and eliminates the need for support barges. There is no need to seafasten the jacket to the beams during transit due to the vessel’s high level of stability, significantly reducing time in the field and lowering the emissions footprint.
“With the successful removal of the Ninian Northern jacket, Allseas has realised its long-term vision of a vessel that provides the offshore industry with a total solution for offshore work,” adds Mr. Heerema.
Ninian Northern is the first of several major jacket removal and installation commitments for Pioneering Spirit in 2022. The vessel will lift and transport more than 123,000 tonnes of structures for the offshore energy industry this year utilising both its Jacket lift and motion-compensated Topsides lift systems.