The new JV will be responsible for laying the foundations of creating a UK North Sea oil and gas decommissioning hub in the city of Dundee, with its nucleus at the port.
The Port of Dundee has been selected due to its proximity to various UK North Sea oil and gas assets, rail and road links, as well as port facilities.
AF Offshore Decom UK, which is a subsidiary of AF Gruppen, is one of the largest decommissioning contractors at the North Sea.
AF Gruppen owns and operates AF Vats Environmental Base in Norway. It is an advanced facility for decommissioning offshore installations.
Owned by Forth Ports, the Port of Dundee is currently involved in the installation of a£10m quay extension, which is claimed to feature the UK’s strongest quayside.
The quay extension will help the port to deal with the large-scale loads demanded during decommissioning operations.
AF Offshore Decom UK already executed North Sea’s decommissioning projects, including Ekofisk 2/4T, Statoil H7/B11 and CNR’s Murchison.
Forth Ports chief executive Charles Hammond said: “This is great news for the city, for the local economy and for the port. Our vision is to position Dundee as a major decommissioning centre for the North Sea and to ensure that customers gain access to an efficient, cost effective decommissioning solution.
“Partnering with such an established and respected organisation as AF Offshore UK will most certainly enable this vision.”
AF Offshore Decom president Bengt Hildisch said: “AF Offshore Decom is pleased to find a partner that shares the same vision and goals as us; to develop and operate a safe and cost efficient Disposal yard in the UK.”
Image: The Port of Dundee is near to many UK North Sea oil and gas assets, rail and road links, and port facilities. Photo: courtesy of AF Gruppen.
