The world’s largest single-lift installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel, Allseas’ ‘Pioneering Spirit’, departed Rotterdam on Saturday and is heading for offshore trials in the North Sea.
The vessel has been moored in Rotterdam’s Alexiahaven since January 2015 for installation, commissioning and testing of the topsides lift system.
During its stay twelve topsides lifting beams have been installed on board and tested to their respective lift capacities of nearly 3700 metric tons.
Pioneering Spirit is now heading to the Southern North Sea to perform offshore trials throughout August, which will include a series of test platform topsides installation and removal exercises under varying weather conditions, Allseas explained.
After the completion of offshore trials, Pioneering Spirit is expected to sail north to the Yme field, offshore Norway, to remove the 13,500 t Yme mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) for Repsol.
Following removal of the Yme platform, the vessel will return to Rotterdam where the remaining four topsides lifting beams will be installed for the Shell Brent Delta topsides removal, scheduled for the summer of 2017.