Last remains of Buchan Alpha removed

The last remains of the Buchan Alpha oil platform have been removed from the water at Dales Voe.

Ocean Kinetics has taken some 3,500 tonnes of material.

The pontoons are now on decommissioning pads at the Greenhead Base in Lerwick and will be dismantled and sent away for recycling over the coming months by sub-contractor, John Lawrie.

Managing director of Ocean Kinetics, John Henderson, said: “We are very pleased to have completed the project safely and ahead of schedule, and it is good to see Dales Voe landscape restored to its natural state.

“The project was much more than just mobilising the heavy lifting barge.

“We spent several weeks on preparatory work, from initial surveying, then the planning and modelling of the lifting steps. We then moved to the preparation of the rig for demolition while still maintaining the structural integrity.

“We cut away excess steel, carried out underwater repairs to the pontoons, and attached 24 lifting points each rated to 300 tonnes SWL, to allow the safe removal and placement of all pieces onshore. The multicat vessel Whalsay Lass was used as the main vessel along with various barges and pontoons.

“Utilising the heavy 800-tonne sheerleg crane Hebo Lift 9, we completed all the heavy lifts, both at the salvage site and at the Greenhead Base in Lerwick Harbour. Most of the lifts were between 200 and 600 tonnes with the heaviest lift being 765 tonnes.

 “The swift and safe completion of this project – in under eight weeks – is testament to the skills and breadth of experience that we have in our team. It also demonstrates our ability to undertake other projects of this complexity, safely, on time and on budget.”