Dutch offshore services company Boskalis has announced that its largest semi-submersible heavy transport vessel has successfully completed its first decommissioning project.
The vessel, called Boka Vanguard, was involved in a major marine decommissioning project for the first time. Boskalis subsidiary SMIT Salvage secured and disconnected a floating production unit (FPU) off the West African coast and the Boka Vanguard transported it to a ship recycling facility in Scandinavia.
The FPU in question is believed to be the Zafiro Producer, which was used in ExxonMobil’s Zafiro oil field in Equatorial Guinea. ExxonMobil had to halt production at the field after the FPU suffered water ingress. The Zafiro Producer is a converted very large crude carrier (VLCC) and was installed as an FPSO (floating production, storage, and offloading) unit in 1996. Boskalis expressed its gratitude to the team involved in the decommissioning and transport project.
The Boka Vanguard vessel has demonstrated its versatility by transporting various cargoes in the past, including a large cruise ship and a fish farm. It has also recently carried six caissons weighing over 93,000 tons, its heaviest cargo to date. The Boka Vanguard, built in 2012 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, is a semi-submersible vessel designed for heavy transport and offshore dry-docking. It has a deadweight of 116,175 tons and a maximum speed of 14 knots.
Boskalis is currently engaged in the FSO Safer project, which involves removing oil from a tanker. The company secured a contract with the UNDP through SMIT Salvage for this task. The project involves several phases, including an onsite inspection of the vessel and its cargo and the establishment of a safe working environment.
