Mermaid completes 21-well, two-year North Sea decommissioning campaign

Mermaid Subsea Services (UK) Ltd announced the successful completion of a two-year, 21-well plugging and abandonment project across the northern and central North Sea.

The work was carried out using 2007-built AHTS Island Valiant, chartered from Island Offshore, and was Mermaid’s largest contract to date.

Aberdeen-headquartered Mermaid said the North Sea Transition Authority had identified almost 1,500 wells on the UK continental shelf in need of decommissioning between 2026 and 2030, and that the recent contract places it in a strong position to meet upcoming demand for decommissioning and plugging and abandonment work.

Scott Cormack, regional director for Mermaid Subsea Services (UK), said: “This has been a landmark project, not just for Mermaid but also for the wider North Sea decommissioning sector.

“For a company that only entered the UK in 2020 to have carried out, what we understand to be, the largest vessel-based decommissioning campaign in the region ever is a huge achievement, testament to the Mermaid team and further proof that there is space in the market for a new player delivering innovative solutions.

The company is the UK subsidiary of Singapore-listed Mermaid Maritime, a subsea services specialist operating across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, with its headquarters in Thailand, and offices across the Middle East and in the UK.

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“I would like to thank the whole Mermaid team for playing their part in the successful delivery of this project and to the client for putting their faith in our safe, efficient and cost-effective vessel-based well P&A offering.”

Mermaid recently celebrated the completion of stage one of a three-year North Sea decommissioning contract for Shell ahead of schedule. The campaign involved the removal of well heads and protection covers, and transporting the items to shore for disposal. Stage two is set to proceed in 2025.

Mr Cormack said: “Well P&A is the single biggest cost, most time demanding, and incredibly technically challenging element of any campaign. Efficient and effective operations can have a big impact on the North Sea’s overall decommissioning cost. Mermaid’s vessel-based P&A approach offers clients real agility and flexibility, ensuring that projects can be delivered on time and on budget.”