Following the successful single lift of the Brent Delta
topside by the Allseas vessel Pioneering Spirit on 28 April 2017, and the tow
-in to Able UK’s Seaton Port (Able) yard in Hartlepool on 02 May, Shell’s Brent
Decommissioning Project team were delighted to welcome over 630 visitors to a
series of events from June 20-24, for a last chance to see the Delta topside
before it is dismantled and recycled.
Shell and Able jointly- hosted four events, each aimed at
a different group of stakeholders, including: VIPs; Shell staff, pensioners and
contractors; school and college students; and the local communities from the
Hartlepool area.
‘We wanted to celebrate and commemorate Delta’s
contribution and history, and the successful execution of the heaviest offshore
single lift,’ Duncan Manning, Brent Asset Manager, explained. ‘We had a unique
opportunity to invite people to see the Delta topside close up, showcase the
Pioneering Spirit’s technical achievement in safely removing the 24,200tonne topside,
and inform the local community about how Able would be dismantling and
recycling the Delta.‘
There was such an
obvious interest from so many people when Delta arrived at Seaton Port, who
lined the route along the coast to witness the tow-in, and incredible coverage
from international, UK, and local media. We also received so many requests from
our own staff who had worked on Delta to have a last opportunity to see it,
that we were happy to extend the invitation to a wide number of groups over the
week’.
To accommodate the anticipated numbers of visitors, and
ensure everyone would have a close-up view of the Delta, Shell and Able
transformed the quayside, setting up a large marquee and viewing gallery,
exhibitions, videos, and a collection of artefacts and mementos retrieved from
the platform.
‘We even removed a
lifeboat, and erected steps to a small platform so people could safely see the
interior, with the seats and hatches still intact. This was a very popular exhibit,’ said
Manning. ‘Telling the Brent story was very important for us, as we are proud of
the history of the Brent field, and its contribution to the energy requirements
of the UK. Equally we wanted to
highlight the contribution of the many people who have worked on Delta over the
years, and provide an insight into life offshore for anyone less familiar with
the oil and gas industry.’
At the VIP day on 20 June, the Brent team were joined by Peter
Stephenson, Executive Chairman of the Able group of companies, and Edward
Heerema, President of Allseas, who was the driving force behind the development
of the Pioneering Spirit. Guests included representatives from the Oil &
Gas Authority, The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Decom
North Sea, Scottish Enterprise, local North East of England politicians,
council officials and business leaders, and members of the Brent Project’s
Independent Review Group.
Uniquely, the guests were offered guided tours of the
topside, where they were able to access the structure and experience first
-hand the living quarters, and operational areas. The tours were conducted by
some of the staff who had worked on the platform. They shared their experiences and memories of
living and working on Delta, and the community spirit developed over the 40
years of its offshore operations.
One hundred and seventeen students aged 14-17yrs,
representing seven local schools and colleges, participated in the Education
Day on Wednesday 23 June, aimed at encouraging an interest in engineering and
the STEM subjects. The students learned about the wide range of jobs involved
in the oil and gas sector, the emerging opportunities in decommissioning,
Able’s apprenticeship scheme, and how the platform would be dismantled.
The Community Open Day on Saturday 24 June attracted
almost 300 people, and required three separate sessions to accommodate the
demand. The event was also covered by the local media, with extensive articles appearing
in the Hartlepool Mail and Evening Gazette, and online. ‘Delta dominates the skyline at Seaton Port
and many people are aware of the benefits to the area from the investment in
the strengthened Quay 6, and the creation and safeguarding of local jobs,’ said
Manning.
All the visitor events generated very favourable
comments, and there was a great deal of appreciation from Shell staff and
pensioners for the opportunity to revisit Delta, network with old colleagues,
and recount the many anecdotes from 40 years of working on the platform.
Preparations and inspections of the topside structure are
now underway at Able’s yard, ahead of dismantling. It is expected that over 97% of the topside
will be recycled, and the work should take around 12 months to complete.
To find out more
about the incredible engineering feat of the Delta single lift, watch the
videos on the Brent Decommissioning website at www.shell.co.uk/brentdecomm
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