Ardent has completed removing the Troll Solution jack-up, reportedly the largest wreck removal completed in 2016.
Weighing approximately 7,000 tons, the jack-up Troll Solution experienced a debilitating accident while carrying out maintenance work on the wellhead platform CAAN-A in 2015.
Prior to Ardent’s involvement, efforts were made to refloat and salvage the jack-up. The Troll Solution collapsed and sank into the seabed in approximately 30 meters water depth. After sinking, the Troll Solution came to rest within two meters from the active CAAN-A platform.
For this project Ardent deployed the Conquest MB-1 crane barge, a 1,000-ton hydraulic wreck grab and support vessels.
The Conquest MB-1 with a maximum of 1,400 tons lifting capacity has been previously deployed under Titan, Ardent’s pre-merger company, in support of the Costa Concordia removal in Italy.
The operation used Ardent’s newly designed ‘Guided Guillotine’ to dismember the jack-up, instead of cutting with more conventional methods.
“Traditional methods require either a push or pull-cut with chains or diamond wire. Pull-cuts require tunnels to be bored into the seabed, whereas push-cuts require a large framework to be built around,” said Ardent naval architect, Roland De Marco .
“The main hurdles to overcome were, how to best cut the jack-up into sections without fabricating an elaborate structure, and boring holes underneath the jack-up through the seabed was improbable due to obstructions, ” said Shelby Harris , Ardent Americas operations director.
“We had to apply ingenuity to use our chain cutting techniques on the deck house in a less than conventional method, and the Ardent Guided Guillotine sectioned the hull. The method worked very well.”
The Ardent salvage team cut the deck house into 6 pieces with Ardent Chain Pullers, and the vessel’s hull into 31 pieces with the Ardent Guided Guillotine and subsequently lifted these from the seabed with the Conquest MB-1 crane barge.
“This project showed the excellent integration of staff from both ex-Svitzer and ex-Titan team members, and further serves as a solid foundation for Ardent to continue progressing ahead,” said Peter Pietka , Ardent CEO.
“We look forward to more challenges and collaboration with our partners in the offshore industry in the near future.”