Following the recent completion of harbor test program, the world’s largest platform installation & decommissioning, pipelaying vessel, the Pioneering Spirit, departed Rotterdam on Saturday morning, August 6.

The vessel is heading for offshore trials in the North Sea ahead of Yme platform removal.

Allseas-owned Pioneering Spirit, formerly known as Pieter Schelte, is a dynamically positioned vessel for single-lift installation and removal of large offshore oil and gas platforms, and the installation of oil and gas pipelines.

The 382-meter long and 124-meter wide giant, delivered by South Korea’s Daewoo Heavy Industries yard, has been moored in Rotterdam’s Alexiahaven since January 2015 for installation, commissioning and testing of the topsides lift system.

The final delivery of the giant vessel was delayed due to late deliveries of components for the topsides lift system beams and the fact that the installation and commissioning of the topsides lift system were more complex than originally anticipated.

According to Allseas, the Pioneering Spirit will now head to the Southern North Sea to perform offshore trials throughout August, which will include a series of test platform topsides installation and removal exercises under varying weather conditions.

After the completion of offshore trials, the vessel is expected to sail north to the Yme field, offshore Norway, to remove the 13,500 t Yme mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) for Repsol.

Following removal of the Yme platform, the Pioneering Spirit will return to Rotterdam where the remaining four topsides lifting beams will be installed for the Shell Brent Delta topsides removal, scheduled for the summer of 2017.

The massive heavy lifter will be able to lift topsides weighing up to a maximum of 48,000 tons. Positioned at the bow of the vessel is a slot, 122 m long and 59 m wide, where topsides are lifted using eight sets of horizontal lifting beams.