Removal and recycling of B11
In 93 days, AF removed platform B11 in the North Sea and sent 9,300 tonnes of material for recycling.
Project status
About the project
Planning, design, removal, source separation, and recycling of the B11 compressor platform.
Nr. 1
AF and Statoil received Gassco´s HSE-award for the project achievement
Raunesveien 597, 5578 Nedre Vats
A total of 9,000 tonnes was dismantled in the North Sea and transported to the AF Environmental Base at Vats for systematic source separation. An impressive 98% of the steel was recycled, finding new life in applications such as reinforcement bars for buildings.
No remaining traces
B11 operated in the German sector of the North Sea from 1977 and was connected to the Norpipe gas pipeline running from Ekofisk to Germany. Its compressor remained in service until the platforms were de-manned and disconnected from Norpipe in 2013. Under the Oslo–Paris Convention (OSPAR), Norway is committed to the responsible removal and recycling of platforms that are no longer in use.
In 2013, AF Gruppen received its first commission from Statoil, now Equinor to remove B11’s sister platform, H7. For this project, AF developed an entirely new offshore removal method using a jack-up vessel—normally employed for installing offshore wind turbines—which can stand on its own legs on the seabed. The vessel’s large cranes lifted modules directly onto its deck as the platform was dismantled.
The same AF team designed and executed the B11 removal project, leveraging knowledge from H7 to reduce removal time by 39 days—30% faster than the previous operation. The B11 platform was successfully removed in 2015, within budget and schedule, and without any lost-time injuries.