Case Study
Telecom tower Removal
Fairfield
Dunlin Alpha, North Sea
During the early decommissioning phase of the Dunlin Alpha, a challenging project was undertaken to safely remove an obsolete telecommunication tower.
The task needed to be accomplished while the platform deck space remained fully operational with limited crane access, presenting significant constraints on the project execution.
The primary challenge was to destruct and remove the telecommunication tower while limiting simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) on the platform.
The removal had to be independent of the platform crane, requiring a thoughtful and innovative solution to ensure the safety of the team and the platform's ongoing operations.
- Challenging project during early decommissioning of Dunlin Alpha: Safe removal of obsolete telecommunication tower required.
- Limited crane access and fully operational platform deck space posed significant challenges.
- AquaTerra's innovative solution: Engineered bespoke gin pole for piece small removal, enabling a small 4-man multi-disciplined rope access team to work independently of platform crane.
- Tower encapsulated with DROPS netting to create a small DROPS zone, keeping deck space in service throughout the project.
- Successful execution with no accidents or injuries, showcasing AquaTerra's meticulous planning and expertise in decommissioning.
To address the challenge, AquaTerra carried out pre-engineering on the tower, assessing the feasibility of a piece small removal approach. The study revealed that additional support steelwork was necessary for the lower tower. Subsequently, AquaTerra engineered and fabricated a bespoke gin pole to assist with the piece small removal. This gin pole enabled a small 4-man multi-disciplined rope access team to work independently of the platform crane.
The full tower was expertly encapsulated in DROPS netting, creating a small DROPS zone and allowing the platform deck space to remain in service throughout the workscope.
The team skilfully destructed the tower into manageable pieces, which were then safely lowered to the deck using the gin pole.
Thanks to meticulous planning and efficient execution, the entire project was completed with no accidents or injuries, highlighting the success of AquaTerra's innovative approach to a challenging decommissioning task.