Brent Delta Platform Lift

The sheer scale and complexity of Brent decommissioning activities is a significant challenge, but the Delta platform lift and subsequent removal is a great example of an innovative solution. The single lift of the 24,200 tonne platform by the Pioneering Spirit marks the world’s heaviest offshore lift, by the world’s largest vessel – one for the record books.

Delta Platform Lift

The platform of Brent Delta, which was removed in one piece is equivalent to the height of the London Eye and for the last 40 years has operated as a hotel for over 160 staff, a factory, and a processing plant. The deck space of the platform is almost the same size as a football pitch.

At the length of six jumbo jets, the Pioneering Spirit lifted the 24,200 tonne platform from Brent Delta in one piece. This operation took place in late April and marks the heaviest marine lift ever undertaken at sea.

The Brent team has undertaken five years of intense engineering and study work, as well as two years of platform engineering preparations offshore to strengthen the underdeck and cut the legs on Delta, and a mere 10 seconds to complete the lift.

Click here for Allseas Pioneering Spirit website and footage

Click here for Able website and timelapse footage

Did you know?

The Brent Delta platform weighs the same as 2,000 London buses and is as high as the London Eye.
The Pioneering Spirit is the same length as six jumbo jets.
2.5 million litres of paint were used to paint the Pioneering Spirit.
The Pioneering Spirit took just 10 seconds to lift the Brent Delta platform.
This marks the world’s heaviest marine lift ever undertaken at sea.
Over 97% of the Brent Delta platform will be recycled.

One Man's Lift

Read the transcript

Title: ONE MANS LIFT

Duration: 1:33 minutes

Description:

Brent Delta platform lift and removal.

ONE MANS LIFT Transcript

[Background music plays]

Gentle instrumental music with delicate keyboard tones and strings, building to an anthemic style before gentling once again.

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye footage of the Brent Delta platform, seen against a background of blue seas and skies.

[Robert Cullen]

I never got to see it from this angle before.

[Video footage]

Footage of Robert Cullen sitting at a window alongside others, using binoculars to view the Delta platform through the window.

[Text displays]

For four years, Robert Cullen lived and worked on the Shell Brent Delta platform.

[Video footage]

Point of view footage, as taken from behind Robert and a colleague, of the Delta platform in the ocean.

[Robert Cullen]

I didn’t think I would see it again, so delighted to be part of the operation here to go and pick it up.

[Video footage]

More footage of Robert seated at the window, handing the binoculars to a colleague seated alongside.

[Text displays]

Now it’s being decommissioned,

[Video footage]

Panning front view of the topside of the platform, Brent Delta signage visible.

[Text displays]

in spectacular style.

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye view of the platform in the ocean, panning across to the approaching vessel, Pioneering Spirit.

[Text displays]

The world’s largest construction vessel…

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye view of the Pioneering Spirit in the ocean.

[Text displays]

lifted the whole platform in one go.

[Video footage]

Fast motion footage by night of the twin hulled Pioneering Spirit moving into position around the platform

[Text displays]

16 hydraulic arms…

[Video footage]

Point-of-view imagery from under the topside, showing one of the vessel’s lift beams extending and positioning itself under the topside. Close-up of the hydraulic clamp mounted on the beam rising to connect with the underside of the topside.

[Text displays]

raised the 24,200 tonne platform…

[Video footage]

More footage of the vessel’s hydraulic lift system lifting the platform free of the platform’s legs.

[Text displays]

in just 10 seconds.

[Video footage]

Front view of the Pioneering Spirit straddling the platform legs while lifting the topside clear of the legs. Close-up in profile of Robert, dressed in safety gear, standing at a ship’s railing alongside other colleagues, all smiling and laughing as they watch the lift.

[Text displays]

It’s a world record lift.

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye view of the Pioneering Spirit in the ocean, carrying the platform topside, while the top of the platform legs are visible at frame-right.

[Robert Cullen]

Fantastic. Probably the best thing I’ve ever seen in my career. Absolutely amazing.

[Video footage]

Close-up of Robert, dressed in safety gear, standing at a ship’s railing as he speaks while looking into the camera. Bird’s eye view of the topside aboard the Pioneering Spirit seen against the background of dark blue ocean waters and pale blue skies.

[Robert Cullen]

Next for Delta is off to Hartlepool, and off to the recycling yard.

[Video footage]

Low angle footage of a section of the Delta topside seen against a background of blue skies.

[Robert Cullen]

The next step in the journey.

[Video footage]

Close-up of Robert in profile, standing at the ship’s railing, as before, as he speaks and turns to look into the camera.

[Text displays]

Over 97% of Brent Delta will now be recycled.

[Video footage]

Panning footage of the Delta topside being brought into a shipyard aboard the Iron Lady cargo barge with the help of tug boats, the shipyard visible in the background. Wide low angle view of the Delta topside aboard the Iron Lady in the shipyard, seen against a background of stormy skies.

[Audio]

Shell jingle.

[Graphic]

Shell Pecten centred on a white background with text displaying below.

[Text displays]

World’s heaviest lift

Read the transcript

Title: WORLDS HEAVIEST LIFT

Duration: 1:01 minutes

Description:

Brent Delta platform lift and removal.

WORLDS HEAVIEST LIFT Final Transcript

[Background music plays]

Instrumental dance-style music with synth sounds and strings in parts.

[Video footage]

Satellite imagery of Great Britain and the North Sea, zooming through the clouds to the location of the Brent field, where a yellow locator line and square indicate the exact location.

[Text displays]

Brent oil field

[Video footage]

Panning aerial footage of swirling dark blue seas, then panning up to an extreme wide view of the Brent Delta platform in the distance, seen against a background of blue seas and skies,

[Text displays]

The world’s heaviest offshore lift.

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye footage of the Brent Delta platform, seen against a background of dark blue seas.

[Text displays]

Shell Brent Delta platform. 24,200 tonnes.

[Animated sequence]

CGI imagery of a blueprint outline of the Brent Delta platform, including substructure and topside, seen against a background of royal blue grid graph paper. The outline increases in size and moves inwards, filling the centre of the frame. The topside of the platform lifts off the substructure beneath.

[Text displays]

It took five years of planning…

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye view of the twin-hulled Pioneering Spirit, faintly visible through a blanket of mist, although blue skies are visible above. Bird’s eye view of the same vessel, seen moving though dark blue ocean waters. Point of view footage as from the bow of the Pioneering Spirit, the two hulls of the vessel visible at frame-left and frame-right, swirling dark waters in the foreground, and the Brent Delta platform in the distance, seen against a black night sky. Fast motion/time-lapse footage by night of the twin hulled Pioneering Spirit moving into position around the platform.

[Text displays]

and the world’s largest construction vessel.

[Video footage]

Point-of-view imagery from under the topside, from various angles, showing the vessel’s lift beams extending and positioning under the topside.

[Text displays]

16 hydraulic motion compensating lifting arms…

[Video footage]

Close-ups as well as wider views of the hydraulic clamps mounted on the beams rising to connect with the underside of the topside.

[Text displays]

were carefully positioned.

[Video footage]

Low angle footage of the vessel’s hydraulic lift system lifting the platform free of the platform’s legs.

[Text displays]

They raised the platform…

[Video footage]

Front view of the Pioneering Spirit straddling the platform legs while lifting the topside clear of the legs, all against a background of blue seas and skies.

[Text displays]

in just ten seconds.

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye view of the Pioneering Spirit, at frame-right, moving through the ocean carrying the platform topside, whilst the top of the platform legs are visible in the distance at upper frame-left.

[Text displays]

An engineering marvel.

[Video footage]

Bird’s eye view of the topside aboard the Pioneering Spirit seen against the background of dark blue ocean waters and cloudy blue skies.

[Audio]

Shell jingle.

[Graphic]

Shell Pecten centred on a white background with text displaying below.

[Text displays]

What’s next?

The Brent Delta platform was transported to the Able UK Seaton Port yard in Hartlepool where at least 97% of the material will be recycled. It is anticipated it could take between 12-18 months to fully dismantle and recycle the platform. Previously, Able have worked on several oil and gas decommissioning projects including BP’s North West Hutton platform.

In partnership with Shell, Able has worked to strengthen the quay and update their facilities for future decommissioning work. The investment and associated developments are equivalent to over 193,000 man hours or 106 jobs over a one-year period.