June 19 - One of the largest ocean-going barges in the world arrived at Able UK's TERRC (Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre) facility at Able Seaton Port, Graythorp, carrying sections of an oil platform for recycling.
The H627 barge, 179m long and almost 50m wide, is operated by Heerema Marine Contractors, and arrived at TERRC with a 4,000 tonne payload, including the top section from a platform jacket.
The barge had been towed by tug from the north east of the Shetland Isle, with four local tugs joining the operation to manoeuvre it through the Seaton Channel and to the quayside at TERRC.
This was the seventh of ten barges carrying sections of the platform to arrive at TERRC-and this part of the jacket is one of the biggest and most impressive structures. The topside sections were brought into the yard last year with the rest arriving this summer.
The oil field ceased production in January 2003 and in 2006 BP announced that the offshore removal and transportation would be undertaken by Heerema Marine Contractors, with Able UK undertaking the task of recycling and disposal of the structures.
