In oil and gas offshore decommissioning, vessel cleaning for waste removal, ensuring personnel safety is paramount. Reducing human activity in confined spaces such as process vessels and caissons decreases risks. However, manual vessel entry remains a critical component of traditional waste removal processes. 

Sureclean leads the oil and gas industry with innovative, rapid and flexible risk-controlled waste removal and NORM decontamination solutions, both onshore and offshore.

Drawing on our deep expertise, we have developed a unique, field-proven, non-intrusive waste removal solution that is gaining industry recognition for improving safety on decommissioning projects and more cost-effective than online systems. Our process has been successfully deployed by a major offshore operator on several North Sea assets.

The challenge

As part of a large-scale decommissioning programme, the operator required waste removal and naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) decontamination services for multiple offshore assets – the largest waste removal contract in the North Sea.

A critical requirement was the non-intrusive removal of waste from numerous process vessels and caissons. The operator needed a partner that could deliver a proven and safe solution while maintaining efficiency and cost control.

The Sureclean Solution

We recommended our unique non-intrusive waste removal system, designed and fabricated in-house, which uses a custom Y-piece and stuffing gland assembly, high-pressure jetting, and diesel-driven vacuum units. This allowed waste to be agitated and extracted through existing belly drains without human entry.

Our team successfully demonstrated the system to the operator at our industry-leading facilities in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire. Tests included the removal of waste from simulated depths, including vacuuming caissons in a closed loop up to 250 metres across vertical and horizontal spreads. Our expertise and the unrivalled size of our equipment fleet mean no one can match this capability.

Our successful demonstration assured the operator of our expertise in delivering waste management solutions for decommissioning campaigns.

The Result

We removed the waste from all the vessels effectively.  On the first asset, waste was removed from 17 vessels and three caissons. Fully non-intrusive waste removal was delivered on over 80% of the vessels; two vessels required manual intrusion. However, we quickly adapted to the situation and conducted a comprehensive risk assessment to ensure safe access.

This success was replicated across six platforms. All work was completed ahead of schedule, delivering significant cost savings for the operator. We also created additional efficiencies, including diesel recovery and resale for client credit.

In addition to hydrocarbon waste removal, we managed the safe and efficient removal of NORM-contaminated waste, supporting the operator’s strict safety and environmental requirements.

Our business scale, combined with our industry knowledge, empowered us with agility, fabrication capacity, and speed of service to stay one step ahead of challenges. We were praised for our “can-do” attitude in responding to the unexpected and adapting solutions on the spot.

The decommissioning partner you need

From large-scale vessel and caisson waste removal to onshore and offshore NORM decontamination, this project confirmed Sureclean as the industry expert in evolving North Sea decommissioning campaigns with innovation, safety, and operational excellence.