Photo by Ben Wicks 

A formal consultation has opened on plans to remove the topsides of the Ninian Central Platform (NCP), one of the North Sea’s oldest and largest structures, as CNR International (U.K.) Limited (CNRI) begins the next phase of decommissioning the Ninian field. The draft Decommissioning Programme, published for consultation from 17 September, covers the removal of the topsides and associated pipeline and umbilical risers down to the top of the platform’s Jarlan Wall, along with associated appurtenances. MASTS is among the bodies circulating the consultation, with representations due in writing to CNRI by 16 October. 

Installed in 1978 and standing on a concrete gravity-based sub-structure in 133 metres of water around 120km east of Shetland, the Ninian Central topsides weigh an estimated 38,725 tonnes. The platform has processed oil since April 1979 and is not expected to be removed before 2029, with cessation of production planned for between 31 December 2026 and 30 June 2027. 

The topsides will be removed whole or in sections by heavy lift or single lift vessel and transported to shore for recycling, reuse or disposal, with CNRI aiming to recycle more than 95 per cent of the recovered material by weight. The company’s environmental assessment found seabird sensitivity in the area to be low year-round, and sets out plans to plug and abandon the platform’s 42 wells in line with industry guidelines. Third-party pipelines connected to the platform, including routes serving EnQuest’s Magnus field and NEO Next+’s North Alwyn hub, mean owners are also working on a bypass project to avoid stranding production elsewhere in the Ninian hub before decommissioning is complete.