Together with Decom Energy and AF Offshore Decom, Heerema Marine Contractors has launched a new company for the offshore decommissioning of platforms called Fairfield Decom. 

“Through this bold step, a unique late-life operations and decommissioning operator is created, providing an all-encompassing solution for ageing offshore oil and gas assets, primarily in the UK Continental Shelf,” the Dutch offshore contractor says.

According to the new partners, Fairfield Decom is designed to reduce complexity and the number of contractual arrangements and deliver operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness and predictability contributing to the 35% cost reduction targets set by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA). The new entity is able to take care of the entire decommissioning process including the management, integration and execution of the end-to-end late life and decommissioning activities. “This is what Fairfield Decom calls ‘next generation decommissioning’,” writes the company.

Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven, CEO of Heerema, said: “Heerema is proud to be part of this unique new venture. Three leaders in the global decommissioning market have joined forces, providing a smarter, cost-effective and more sustainable approach to decommissioning and recycling offshore structures.”

Heerema has over 50 years of experience in transporting, installing, and removing all types of offshore facilities, while AF Offshore Decom, a subsidiary of the Norwegian industrial group AF Gruppen, is a specialized contractor that has been developing and executing solutions for the removal and recycling of offshore installations for the past 15 years. Decom Energy is described as the first fully outsourced end-to-end, late-life and decommissioning operator in the North Sea.

The new venture is subject to the approval of the Norwegian Competition Authority.