Decommissioning Project in Southern North Sea

Overview

Control Cutter undertook the decommissioning of a platform located in the Southern North Sea, for a major integrated energy company. A project that involved recovering nine wells and sectioning them into manageable lengths. The operation was executed using a Jack-Up rig.

This project built upon a previous successful decommissioning operation in the same field, where valuable lessons were learned and improvements were implemented for enhanced efficiency and safety.

Background

The technical scope of the project included utilising a Dual Drilling Unit (DDU), Lift Sub, and lifting pins for the initial lift of the severed conductor to the drill floor. The Conductor Recovery Package, including the DecomCutter and DecomDart, was installed on the drill floor to complete the sectioning of each well.

The project entailed cutting nine wells into five sections each, at a water depth of 227 feet.

Challenges

While the operation was largely standard, it required a heightened focus on safety and efficiency.

Control Cutter prioritised meticulous planning and risk assessment, ensuring that mitigative and intelligent engineering solutions were in place before commencing the job.

Although the project did not involve significant innovation, Control Cutter supplied unique technical equipment and a larger tool package than standard operations to facilitate the initial pinning at the wellhead and to support lifting operations to the Jack-Up rig.

One key differentiator during the operation was that none of the consumable components, such as arrowheads and knives, needed to be replaced throughout the campaign. This not only reduced the overall costs but also positioned Control Cutter significantly ahead of competitors, who would typically require several replacements, such as bandsaw blades or drilling heads, which often fail after a few operations.