Spirit Energy, an oil and gas operator, is experiencing its "busiest year-to-date" in decommissioning activities. The company has been engaged in offshore campaigns across the Central and Southern North Seas, as well as the East Irish Sea, with a focus on dismantling old installations and plugging and abandoning wells.

Recently, Spirit Energy successfully completed the final phase of removing the DP3 and DP4 installations in Morecambe Bay. Allseas utilized its massive Pioneering Spirit construction vessel to remove the 9,000-tonne jacket structures, which were then transferred to Fife for recycling on the Iron Lady barge.

In the Central North Sea, Spirit Energy is carrying out a 14-well plug and abandonment program across four fields: Chestnut, Birch, Larch, and Sycamore. The campaign is being conducted from Well-Safe Solutions' Well-Safe Defender vessel, and they have already completed well decommissioning at the Chestnut field.

Spirit Energy is also shutting down part of its operations in the Southern North Sea. Heerema Marine Contractors successfully removed three topsides and three jackets with the Thialf semi-submersible crane vessel in a single mobilization. DeepOcean will return later this year to recover subsea infrastructure from six assets, with recycling carried out by Thompsons of Prudhoe in the Port of Blyth, supporting the UK supply chain.

Donald Martin, Head of Decommissioning and Projects at Spirit, highlighted the company's approach to combining decommissioning programs and supply chain opportunities, leading to significant economies of scale and a lean and agile team. The completion of the DP3 and DP4 jackets' removal marks a significant milestone towards their longer-term transition plan for the Morecambe hub, which they intend to convert into a world-class carbon storage cluster.

Spirit Energy's CEO, Neil McCulloch, expressed pride in the achievements and efforts of the Spirit team and its collaboration with the supply chain. He emphasized the company's strategic thinking and long-term relationships with supply chain partners in the UK and the Netherlands, as well as its commitment to delivering industry-leading decommissioning cost performance in line with regulatory obligations.