Norway-based ocean services provider DeepOcean has tucked a new decommissioning milestone under its belt by removing what has been deemed to be the largest subsea isolation valve (SSIV) in the North Sea, as part of the decommissioning campaign for underwater infrastructure that made up the facilities at a field that used to produce hydrocarbons for the UK-headquartered energy heavyweight BP.

Over 1,200 tons of subsea equipment at BP’s Miller field was put on DeepOcean’s removal list due to a deal, described as ‘the first of its type’ in the North Sea. After the field, located around 150 miles northeast of Aberdeen, ceased production in 2007, all wells were plugged and abandoned in 2008. While the topsides and jacket remained at the site for years, they were taken for recycling and disposal in 2017 and 2018, when more than 40,000 tons of equipment were transported to Norway for onshore demolition and recycling.