Seaport Magazine #5 – 2021
Sagro is a specialist in decommissioning
Over the next few years, hundreds of old oil and gas platforms in the North Sea are going to be removed to conform with safety and environmental requirements.
At Sagro Decom’s terminal in East Flushing, work is always full-on, with an increasing number of clients requiring the dismantling of topsides and jackets. These come mainly from the North Sea. Sagro is constantly receiving new requests, particularly as a result of the successful decommissioning of two Tyra projects. “We are competent in all methods of demolition now. The knowledge and skills we’ve built up over the past 50 years in the field of civil and industrial demolition can now be applied to decommissioning”, says Abco Liek, project manager at Sagro. Sagro is also dismantling four topsides from the English part of the North Sea for their neighbour, Perenco in Flushing. Two have already been decommissioned.
The fact that Sagro, a Dutch company, is experiencing an increasing number of orders to carry out decommissioning work, is a tribute to the high level of quality required in the Netherlands. This is demanded by both the oil and gas companies and the heavy lift contractors. Concerns such as Total also place high demands on their subcontractors.
Heerema
As part of the Tyra projects, last year Sagro started on the dismantling of 17,000 tons of steel from topsides, bridges and flare towers in the Danish part of the North Sea for main contractor Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC). The Total project for main contractor Heerema, with 8 topsides and 7 bridges connecting the platforms, will be completed by the end of this year.
Allseas
In addition, four jackets for main contractor Allseas will also be dismantled at the Sagro terminal as part of Tyra. This project will be completed by the end of 2022. Two jackets, totalling 2,400 tons, have already been completely dismantled. Next May, the other two jackets will be dismantled. These stand on eight legs and, at 7,000 and 3,500 tons, are respectively 3.5 times and 2 times as heavy. The four jackets together, therefore, represent some 13,000 tons of steel.
Transparent
From start to finish, safety officers from Total, Heerema and Allseas will be present at the terminal in Flushing. Everything must be transparent, right down to the destination of the waste flows, with monitoring taking place via a digital ‘track & trace’ system. The reuse of equipment and raw materials is also something the clients are very careful to ensure.
Demolition site
Things are different at a demolition site than at a manufacturing site. Smoke, for example, is inherent to demolition/fire work. Decommissioning is different from working in a production environment or on the regular demolition of a building, for example. Open fire is all part of it.
Quality
The increasing demand for decommissioning to be carried out by Sagro is closely linked to the high level of quality in the Netherlands, “This is required by both the oil and gas companies and the heavy lift contractors. In the Tyra projects, for instance, Total audits for high quality. Oil and gas companies also set high requirements for their subcontractors. Safety is the most important thing. The fact that everything is transported all the way from Denmark to us here in Flushing says something about the quality at our company”, continues Abco Liek.
Heavy lift contractors
The oil and gas companies have to endorse the heavy lift contractors in terms of the yards where the structures are taken to. That’s why they do the audits themselves. “It’s important to them that the waste flow is fully traceable up to and including recycling. Up until the processing stage, for example, everything must be weighed and documented. That is also why representatives of both Total and the heavy lift contractors remain on site during the Tyra project. The oil company continues to feel responsible for the entire process and will only enlist certified specialists.”
DNA
As a company with sustainability in its DNA, Sagro focuses on reusing equipment and raw materials. Everything is well thought out in advance in terms of safety and execution. The order in which the stages of the demolition process take place is also very important.
Sustainability criteria
“In our case, 98 percent is suitable for reuse. In some cases, machines or tanks can even be reused for the same application after cleaning and inspection. Only 2 percent has to be dumped or incinerated. In that respect, we meet the sustainability criteria quite well! The steel ultimately goes to the smelters where it gets a new life, in the automotive or ICT sector for example”, Abco emphasises.
Heavy load quay
The new 185-metre heavy-duty quay was completed at the end of last year. 1100 piles, each one 35 metres long, were used for this new quay. This special quay is a huge advantage for heavy constructions. They can be unloaded directly onto the asphalt without additional facilities. This means that Sagro will also be able to handle all kinds of projects which include heavy pieces in the future.
"The fact that everything is transported all the way from Denmark to us here in Flushing says something about the quality at our company."