Pioneering Spirit removes the Brent Bavo topsides on 18 June 2019

Allseas’ record-breaking heavy lift and pipelay vessel Pioneering Spirit has safely completed the single-piece removal of the 25,000 t Brent Bravo topsides from the North Sea on 18 June 2019. Completed early Tuesday morning, the operation took approximately 4 hours, from positioning the vessel around the platform to the moment of the lift. The actual “fast lift” of the topsides took only 9 seconds. Pioneering Spirit (formerly Pieter Schelte) is the largest construction vessel in the world. Inspired by the offshore heavy lifting pioneer Pieter Schelte Heerema (1908–81) and designed completely in-house, the vessel is designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms and the installation of record-weight pipelines. The emergence of Pioneering Spirit signifies a step-change in offshore installation and decommissioning. Capable of lifting entire platform topsides of up to 48,000 t and jackets up to 20,000 t in a single piece, she significantly reduces the amount of offshore work associated with installation and decommissioning, moving the work onshore where it is safer and more cost effective.