Hundreds Visit Giant Platform at Seaton Port

Posted on the : 4th July 2017

It’s one of the most impressive—and newest—sights on Teesside and has been on show for hundreds of visitors before work begins on its decommissioning.

Civic and business leaders, together with retired workers, people from the local community…and over one hundred local schoolchildren…were welcomed to Able UK’s Seaton Port facility to see for themselves the massive Shell Brent Delta platform which arrived at the facility last month and will be dismantled over the coming months.

The 24,200-tonne structure was transported from the Brent oil and gas field north-east of the Shetland Islands in a highly-complex operation, using the largest construction vessel ever built, the Allseas Pioneering Spirit. After arriving off the North East coast the topside was transferred to a 200-metre-long barge, the Iron Lady, which was successfully moored at Able’s specialist facility on the River Tees, with the structure then transferred to its final resting place, a new multi-million-pound quay for the start of the decommissioning process.

The project is, in every sense, ground breaking – the first deep-water platform to come ashore as a single piece, the world’s biggest single lift by the world’s biggest vessel and the construction of one of the world’s strongest quays.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, Hartlepool’s recently-elected MP Mike Hill and Hartlepool Council leader Christopher Ackers-Belcher joined with local business leaders and Government representatives to be briefed on all stages of the ground-breaking project to bring the platform to Able Seaton Port, including details of the final decommissioning and recycling process.

Local schools that visited included English Martyrs, High Tunstall, St Hilds, Manor Community Academy and Dyke House.

Explained Able Executive Chairman Peter Stephenson “The visits provided all of the parties – ourselves, Shell and Allseas – with the opportunity to not only showcase this very exciting project but also to explain its’s significance and the contribution that it will make to the Teesside economy – around 50 jobs and three brand new apprenticeships.

“We were also able to re-affirm our own commitment to maximising our recruitment in the locality – with almost half of our workforce living in Hartlepool and over 80% in the Tees Valley.

“We are indebted to those that have taken time out to take to visit our facility, not least the 350 visitors on the community day. We are extremely grateful for their support, their interest and the incredibly positive feedback that we have received from all concerned.”

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