OIS Successfully Completes Sixteenth Rigless Suspended Well Abandonment Campaign

Offshore Installation Services (OIS), an Acteon company, has successfully completed its sixteenth rigless suspended well abandonment campaign involving multiple operators in the Southern North Sea. The multi-operator model for programmes of this kind can deliver significant customer benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness. A total of nine mudline wells in categories 1, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 were abandoned during the operation including four on behalf of GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd. and two for RWE Dea.

The scope of work for OIS, part of Acteon’s activity and resource management business, included the initial approval processes; formulating the contracting strategy; developing detailed procedures; procurement; appointing specialist service providers; overall logistics; and recycling and disposing of the recovered wellheads.

OIS conducted the two-phase abandonment operation from a chartered DP2-class anchor-handling tug supply vessel (AHTS). During phase one, a proprietary twin low-pressure packer tool from Acteon sister company Claxton Engineering Services Ltd. was deployed through the vessel’s moon pool to set cement plugs across all the casing annuli. The second phase involved abrasive severance of the wells using Claxton Engineering’s SABRE cutting tool.

“We have a strong track record in providing commercially efficient decommissioning solutions which are particularly important for non-revenue-generating assets,” said OIS vice president of commercial and business development Tom Selwood. “Multi-operator campaigns such as this, enable operators to share the associated costs which, when combined with the rigless nature of our offering, makes this the most cost-effective way to comply with UK oil and gas decommissioning legislation.”

Max Proctor, GDF SUEZ E&P UK drilling manager, added, “We are committed to fulfilling our responsibility to the environment as an operator and are leading the way in the North Sea with the decommissioning of redundant wells. We started this campaign immediately after the request came from DECC for operators to fully abandon suspended wells by reviewing the history of the wells and confirming the status of each with an independent well examiner. OIS is a valued partner of GDF SUEZ and the success of this project is testament to the team’s strong technical skills and experience.”

Since 1996, the OIS team has successfully completed more than 100 well decommissioning projects without a single lost-time incident.

About Offshore Installation Services
Offshore Installation Services, an Acteon company, brings a specialist combination of expertise and abilities to light-construction, maintenance, installation and decommissioning projects. The company provides experienced project-management teams and integrates its skills with products and services from other Acteon companies to benefit its customers' projects. For more information, visit www.ois-ltd.com.

About Acteon
Acteon companies provide mooring, foundation, riser, conductor, flowline and marine electronics products and services supported by strong engineering and project management capabilities. Acteon’s companies are 2H Offshore, Aquatic, CAPE Group, Claxton, Conductor Installation Services (CIS), Fluke Engenharia, InterAct, InterMoor, Large Diameter Drilling (LDD), MENCK, Mirage Machines, NCS Survey, Offshore Installation Services (OIS), Pulse Structural Monitoring, Seatronics, Subsea Riser Products (SRP) and TEAM Energy Resources. For more information, visit  www.acteon.com.

About subsea services
Subsea services are defined as the provision of specialist equipment, services and personnel that can operate from any fit-for-purpose vessel or platform. Acteon’s subsea services offering is unique and addresses operational requirements that support oil and gas asset owners, construction and drilling companies, and vessel owners.