Contract to handle and dispose of damaged subsea structures and equipment

Paul Boughton
Gryphon field operator Maersk Oil has awarded TWMA a contract to handle and dispose of subsea structures and equipment damaged during the Gryphon FPSO storm incident earlier this year.

The UK-headquartered oil and gas environmental waste management company has been contracted by Maersk Oil in the UK to handle the recovered structures and equipment which suffered damage when storm weather in the UK North Sea caused the Gryphon FPSO to move off station in February.

The contract is worth a six-figure sum and was awarded to TWMA as part of Maersk Oil’s ongoing Gryphon recovery and repair programme.  

TWMA’s workscope covers onshore handling, cleaning and cutting of subsea structures including risers, riser bases, flowlines, umbilicals, mid water arches and mattresses.  The firm will maximise recycling and reuse options for all recovered materials.

The subsea structures and equipment will be recovered offshore prior to landing at Lerwick harbour, Shetland, where they will be transported to TWMA’s onshore waste transfer station in Vatster Gott, Shetland.

Brian Henderson, environmental services division manager of TWMA, said: “Maersk Oil is one of our longest standing clients and we are delighted that they have chosen to use TWMA for this important recovery project.  

“Having a permanent presence in Shetland with a dedicated waste transfer station and team allows us to deliver a highly efficient waste management service to Maersk Oil and other clients operating in this region.  

“We anticipate that 95 per cent of the subsea material recovered from the Gryphon field will either be reused or recycled, thus dramatically reducing the volume of waste sent for landfill.

“TWMA has extensive knowledge and many years of experience in the field of recovered waste materials, mainly handling large subsea structures and equipment such as pipelines and umbilicals for the decommissioning market.  We implement similar waste management strategies to undertake projects such as this where equipment needs to be recovered and replaced with minimal disruption for oil production to go back online.”

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