DeepOcean completes subsea removals at Spirit Energy’s Seven Seas and Grove West fields

DeepOcean has executed the removal of subsea infrastructure at the Seven Seas and Grove West fields, located in the southern North Sea, utilizing specialized in-house developed tooling. The project, managed from the company’s Aberdeen office, involved the retrieval of a 100-tonne wellhead protection structure and the disconnection of subsea components. These operations were completed as preparatory measures for an upcoming rig campaign, with a focus on material recovery and the minimization of environmental impact through recycling.

Subsea Infrastructure Recovery and Technical Execution
The project scope required precise technical intervention at two distinct offshore locations. At the Seven Seas field, situated 80 km offshore the East Yorkshire coast at a water depth of 33 metres, the 100-tonne wellhead protection structure—installed in 2011—was recovered following the cutting of its piles three metres below the seabed. The high-specification construction vessel Edda Freya was utilized for the heavy lifting and retrieval of the structure.

At the Grove West field, located 130 km east of the UK coastline in 40 metres of water, the operation focused on the disconnection of a spool from a subsea Christmas tree. The engineering team utilized remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with proprietary tooling to disconnect two subsea flanges. This automated approach effectively replaced the requirement for conventional diver intervention, increasing operational safety and efficiency in shallow-water decommissioning environments.

Environmental Objectives and Material Management
The decommissioning strategy for these assets prioritizes resource efficiency and waste management. In alignment with Spirit Energy’s broader sustainability goals, all recovered materials from both fields have been processed for reuse, recycling, or disposal. This process is consistent with the operator’s initiative to recycle over 95% of materials generated during decommissioning activities. By leveraging specialized supply chain expertise, the project demonstrates a model for managing end-of-life subsea assets that reduces logistical complexity and promotes the circular economy.

Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals editor, assisted by AI.

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