(WO) – DeepOcean is nearing completion of a major decommissioning campaign for TotalEnergies, delivering a fully diverless disconnection of the Gryphon Alpha FPSO in the UK North Sea.
The project covers the flushing of pipelines and manifolds, the disconnection and recovery of subsea flowlines, umbilicals, risers and midwater arches, as well as the FPSO’s mooring system. DeepOcean also managed the tow-off once the vessel was released from the field.
A key feature of the work scope is the company’s use of proprietary tooling—designed and engineered in-house—which enabled the entire campaign to be executed without divers. The diverless spool disconnection and blind-flange installation marked an industry first for this type of operation.
“This project is a standout achievement for DeepOcean,” said Robin Mawhinney, Managing Director, DeepOcean UK. “The bespoke tooling created for this scope allowed us to perform the entirety of the work with diverless methodologies that produced exemplary outcomes.”
The project is being delivered by DeepOcean’s Aberdeen team, with engineering support from Haugesund, Norway. Final activities—recovery of mooring chains and remaining risers—are expected to conclude before year-end.
Commissioned in the mid-1990s as the first purpose-built, permanently moored FPSO in the North Sea, Gryphon Alpha produced more than 250 MMboe over three decades, far exceeding its original ten-year design life.
