Brimmond’s crane solution for decom sector’s weighty issue
By Paul Dingwall, Brimmond's Marine Crane Technical Sales Manager
Following a £750K investment, Brimmond now boasts one of the largest rental fleets of high-capacity marine cranes in the UK.
Combined with the growth of our team of specialist technicians, this expanded capability has seen us working on an increasing number of decommissioning projects in recent months.
We are well placed to tackle what is a recognised challenge in the decommissioning sector: projects are repeatedly held up as a direct result of the aging platform cranes’ operability and reliability. This not only has implications for the safety of personnel, but also for the subsequent downtime caused by delays in lifting activities.
These aging cranes are often de-rated, meaning there are limitations placed on their lift capacity and the weather conditions in which they are allowed to operate. Given that the North Sea is not renowned for its balmy climate, this leads to delays, which then impacts on project timescales and budgets.
At Aberdeenshire- based engineering and manufacturing specialists, Brimmond, we have experience in providing temporary lifting solutions to support wellhead operations, reducing the reliance on platform cranes, and enhancing the safety and efficiency of these operations.
PLUG AND ABANDON
Recent projects in the UKCS saw Brimmond resolve complex installation challenges on two aging assets in the UKCS, by supplying their 175 txm marine crane packages. Provided in modules that remain within the platform crane’s lifting capacity, they were fully assembled in-situ by Brimmond’s experience d team of offshore technicians.
To minimise the use of the platform cranes during assembly, the packages were supported by a frame, with sections being lifted into positions using a spreader bar frame. Our install objective was to be as self-sufficient as possible and avoid any reliance on platform cranes.
Brimmond’s fleet of rental cranes can also be deployed to take on some of the day-to-day workload of the platform cranes, as well as specific P&A activities, via a pre- installed skidding system.
VESSEL DECOMMISSIONING (MATTRESS RECOVERY)
Mattress recovery campaigns in the North Sea require recovered concrete mattresses to be stacked precisely, with the objective of having the maximum pile height achievable.
Historically this has proved challenging for our clients using the larger existing vessel cranes on campaigns. Brimmond’s solution is to provide compact knuckle boom marine crane packages with long outreach (typically 21m) which have deck coverage for stacking mattresses, while allowing the existing vessel cranes to focus on recovery.
On several projects this expedited operations, enabling them to run safely, efficiently, and be completed in a shorter timeframe. These packages were supported for the duration of hire by Brimmond technicians and our qualified and certified operators. They typically use the crane remote control to get closer to riggers and mattresses, resulting in the piles being 20% higher
on average. Our rental cranes are offered with attachments including Clamshell Buckets for any debris removal and Pipe Manipulators for the relocation of spool pieces.
UK’S LONGEST REACH MARINE KNUCKLE BOOMCRANES
Identifying deck coverage as vital for decommissioning projects, we’ve invested in two top-quality marine cranes with six extensions and an impressive 27 metres outreach. This enables us to offer the longest reach marine knuckle boom cranes for hire in the UK, specifically designed for various decommissioning lifting projects.
One crane is available now, with the second completing in February. These new cranes are extended versions of our popular 175txm crane used on North Sea platforms. As the global energy industry moves towards a net zero future and decommissioning accelerates in the North Sea and beyond, innovative solutions like these, prioritising safety, and efficiency, are crucial.
Brimmond offers tailored marine crane packages, leveraging our world- leading rental and stock marine cranes, supported by our skilled technicians for installation and maintenance.
Visit brimmond.com/marine-cranes or contact Paul.Dingwall@brimmond.com to discuss further