The ten (10) drive pipes were cut and proved during five (5) consecutive days of operation.  The fifteen (15) conductors were cut and proved during ten (10) non-consecutive days of operation.  During one of those ten (10) days of conductor cutting operations, the NCA’s field personnel were successful in cutting and proving three (3) multi-string conductors – no carry over from the previous day.  Once the NCA Cut Engineer determined the cut was completed, the operational plan required that NCA initiate a pull on each conductor to verify that the cut was actually made.  This was accomplished by rigging up NCA’s 250 ton Proving Frame System and lifting the conductor for verification.  The Proving Frame System is a system that utilizes hydraulic rams mounted to a heavy duty beam-frame that is placed on top of a set of skidding beams. 

The success of operation was not without its hurdles.  The platform could not be designated a manned facility causing operations to only be conducted during daylight hours with a maximum 12 hour per day working limit making it necessary for the NCA crews to travel by boat twice a day, to a nearby platform set up to accommodate personnel.

The Mariner company representative on the project, Stoney Carlisle with Abandonment Consulting Services, LLC. (ACS), reported the first-rate performance of the NCA crew and equipment played a major role in the success of the overall abandonment project.  In addition, Carroll Price, the President of ACS expressed a great deal of satisfaction with how NCA carried out the operation. In a project follow-up discussion, Joey Tabor, NCA’s Sr. Project Manager, asked Carroll Price if he would consider using NCA’s IMCT again on projects he is involved with, his answer was “without a doubt!” and continued to say, “The P&A projects I manage have a direct effect on the reputation of ACS and the bottom line of the operator. This makes us both truly appreciate the job well done by NCA.” 

The NCA Group is a privately owned group of oilfield service companies with the main office in Stavanger, Norway. NCA was established in 1999 and has since grown rapidly and established three main business lines; P&A and Decommissioning Service, Repair and Maintenance Services, and Mooring Services. NCA’s revenues are in 2009 expected to reach 100 mill USD. The NCA Group has approximately 200 employees worldwide.

For more information, please contact Patrick (Pat) Hudson on phone +1 (281) 217-7071 / email pat.hudson@nca-group.com, or CEO of NCA Carl Lieungh on phone +47 916 64720 / email carl.lieungh@nca-group.com.