Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit has transported the North Cormorant oil platform to Lerwick Harbour in Shetland, where the structure will be dismantled as part of its decommissioning. The platform arrived on 23 August 2026.
The heavy transport operation brought North Cormorant from the UK Northern North Sea to Lerwick. At the port, the platform was transferred from Pioneering Spirit to a barge before being moved to the Dales Voe quayside for dismantling.
Pioneering Spirit, described as the world’s largest lifting vessel, measures 382 m in length and 124 m in width. The twin-hull vessel has a topside lifting capacity of up to 48,000 tonnes, allowing complete platform topsides to be removed in a single lift.
North Cormorant was installed in 1981 in the East Shetland Basin. Production started in February 1982. During 42 years of operation, the platform produced 467 million barrels of oil, which was transported through the Brent pipeline system to the Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland.
Colin Nicolson, Deputy Chairman of Lerwick Port Authority, worked as a technician on North Cormorant between 1987 and 1995. He described seeing the platform come ashore as an emotional occasion and recalled his eight years working on the installation.
According to Nicolson, North Cormorant is the largest platform handled at Lerwick. He also said the decommissioning work would benefit the harbour and the Shetland supply chain.
Brown and Mason Group is responsible for dismantling the platform. The contractor expects to recycle up to 97% of its steel and other materials. The work is expected to take between 12 and 18 months, with approximately 30 personnel involved.
North Cormorant follows other large decommissioning structures handled at Lerwick Harbour, including the 14,200-tonne Ninian Northern topside in 2020.
Lerwick Port Authority is pursuing plans for an Ultra-Deep Water Quay at Dales Voe to increase its capacity to handle large-scale offshore decommissioning work.
