Allseas’ heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit has successfully removed the Eider Alpha topsides from the northern North Sea.

The safe, single-lift removal of the 11,640-tonne structure marks the start of a series of major dismantling projects for TAQA UK’s North Sea decommissioning programme. Eider is the first of four TAQA-operated platforms to be removed under Allseas’ long-term engineering, preparation, removal and disposal (EPRD) contract for the Northern North Sea (NNS) facilities, which also includes Tern Alpha, North Cormorant and Cormorant Alpha.

The operation followed years of detailed engineering, and a three-month offshore preparation campaign carried out by Allseas’ construction support vessel Oceanic – her first full topsides preparation project.

The Eider lift demonstrates the skill and planning of Allseas’ offshore and onshore teams and reinforces Pioneering Spirit’s capability to perform large-scale removals safely and efficiently in the hostile offshore environment of the northern North Sea. The vessel’s advanced motion compensation system and stable twin-bow design enable controlled, single-lift operations even in challenging sea states.

Following removal, the topsides were safely delivered to the AF Environmental Base in Vats, Norway, for dismantling and recycling in line with TAQA’s 97% reuse and recovery target.

The Eider project is part of Allseas’ multi-year commitment to support TAQA’s decommissioning activities across the UK North Sea. The NNS contract – the largest single UK decommissioning award to date – covers more than 120,000 tonnes of offshore infrastructure. In addition, TAQA UK recently awarded Allseas the EPRD contract for the 33,000-tonne Brae Alpha platform in the UK Central North Sea.

The safe completion of the Eider removal concludes a highly productive year for Pioneering Spirit, which in 2025 has lifted and transported more than 80,000 tonnes of offshore facilities across the oil, gas and wind sectors.

About Allseas

Allseas is a family-owned global offshore contractor specializing in pipelay, subsea construction, and ultra-heavy lift. Since 1985, they have led the offshore energy market through bold innovation, consistently pushing technical boundaries to deliver pioneering, responsible solutions that evolve with the changing energy industry. By delivering cutting-edge solutions to the industry's toughest challenges, learning fast and sharing knowledge, Allseas redefines what is possible above and below the water’s surface, and seizes market opportunities that drive sustainable growth, leveraging engineering expertise to develop technologies that will play a key role in accelerating the energy transition.

About TAQA

TAQA was established in 2005; however, our story begins in 1998 with the privatization of Abu Dhabi’s power and water sector, underscoring the importance of water security and provision of power to communities across the UAE. This move paved the way for TAQA’s establishment as a publicly listed company on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) in 2005. Since then, we’ve grown into a diversified company with operations in the UAE as well as Canada, Ghana, India, Morocco, Netherlands, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and United States.