Pioneering Spirit, Allseas’ single-lift installation, decommissioning and pipelay vessel set the world lifting record with the removal of Shell UK’s Brent Delta platform topsides from the North Sea on April 28, the company said.

Located in the Brent field, approximately 186 km off the north-east coast of Shetland, the 24,000 t Brent Delta topsides sat on a three-legged gravity-based structure which stands in 140 m of water.

The topsides have since been sea-fastened on board Pioneering Spirit for transport to the Able UK decommissioning yard in Teesside, North East England.

Built by South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in 2014, the twin-hulled vessel features a length of 382 meters and a width of 124 meters. In addition, it can accommodate 571 persons.

The vessel commenced offshore operations in the summer of 2016 and set its previous offshore lifting record with the removal of Repsol’s 13,500 t Yme production unit in the Norwegian North Sea.

Image Courtesy: Allseas