A newly formed joint venture between THREE60 Energy (THREE60) and AF Offshore Decom (AFOD), a subsidiary of AF Gruppen, has secured a multi-million-pound contract from bp to deliver integrated decommissioning services for the Andrew field in the North Sea.
A first of its kind in the UK Continental Shelf, this contract will see the joint venture assume the role of decommissioning services partner. The joint venture will deliver post cessation of production (CoP) operations, well decommissioning, facilities / pipelines / topsides preparation, substructure and topsides disposal and subsea infrastructure removal. The joint venture will also work alongside the topsides removal contractor to ensure successful unified delivery of the full decommissioning scope.
The contract, which is subject to regulatory approvals, will be delivered over several phases, with the initial phase being well planning, P&A preparation scopes, including platform readiness, and transition planning.
Within the joint venture, THREE60 will combine its responsibility and capability as Installation, Pipeline and Well operator with AF Offshore Decom’s experience and track record in EPRD preparation, management and disposal.
THREE60 is a leading independent energy service company offering complete asset life cycle solutions. Their engineering, subsea, operations and wells team will leverage its differentiated and previous experience as Duty Holder, Pipeline Operator and Well Operator to deliver this integrated scope.
For over 20 years, AF Offshore Decom has been a dedicated decommissioning engineering, preparations, removal, and disposal (EPRD) main contractor in the North Sea. The company has safely prepared, removed, and recycled more than 90 offshore structures and has built extensive experience in managing large and complex projects. The company also operates a purpose-built decommissioning facility; AF Environmental Base Vats. Their deep breadth of offshore experience in project delivery, EPRD management and execution, as well pure disposal, will be integrated into the project team.
The Andrew field is located 225km northeast of Aberdeen and serves as a central hub for four subsea fields. The facility features a steel structure that integrates both drilling and production facilities, with the topsides weighing approximately 11,100 tonnes and the supporting structure around 7,600 tonnes. The Andrew area includes 17 platform wells, 8 subsea wells, 41km of subsea bundles, 42km of umbilicals, and 2,500 tonnes of subsea equipment.
Walter Thain, Group CEO of THREE60 Energy, commented on the contract award: “We are honoured to partner with AF Offshore Decom on this significant bp project. The award is testament to both our team’s collective work throughout the tender process and in co-creating a bespoke solution to meet bp’s requirements. We are dedicated to delivering comprehensive and safe decommissioning solutions and really excited to embark on this journey.”
Alice Andreassen, Managing Director, AF Offshore Decom said: “We have found the right partner who complements our vision of delivering across the entire value chain. In this partnership, AFOD will integrate with THREE60 to deliver integrated decommissioning solutions in compliance with bp requirements. We are really looking forward to embarking on this journey together with THREE60, to deliver this important project with bp. This partnership is strategically important for the North Sea market and the future of decommissioning project execution models.”
The scope of work will be delivered from a THREE60 – AF Gruppen project office headquartered in central Aberdeen, Scotland.
