EnQuest removes Heather Alpha topsides in huge lift operation

(Sharecast News) - EnQuest announced the completion of the safe removal of the Heather Alpha topsides on Thurdsay, marking a major milestone in its North Sea decommissioning programme. The London-listed company said the 15,300-tonne structure was lifted in a single operation on 11 August by the Allseas-owned Pioneering Spirit, the largest planned single lift in the North Sea this year.

It said the removal followed three years of planning, engineering and offshore preparation by EnQuest's in-house decommissioning team in collaboration with Allseas and other specialist contractors.

The topsides were being transported to Frederikshavn in Denmark for dismantling, with over 95% of the structure expected to be recycled and repurposed to minimise the project's carbon footprint.

"The removal of the Heather Alpha topsides is a tremendous accomplishment for the EnQuest team, as well as our colleagues at Allseas and across the project support network," said EnQuest decommissioning director John Allan.

"The Pioneering Spirit completed the lift in around 14 seconds, but that astonishing reality was only made possible by three years of meticulous planning, engineering and preparation works.

"After almost 50 years of operations in the North Sea, Heather Alpha's legacy is to be an exemplar of a best-in-class decommissioning project, from inception to the responsible recycling of its materials."

At 1039 BST, shares in EnQuest were down 0.83% at 12.57p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.