Pioneering Spirit lift capacity raised to 60,000 tonnes for Statfjord A removal

Allseas has raised the lifting capacity of its crane vessel Pioneering Spirit from 48,000 to 60,000 tonnes to remove the topside of the Statfjord A platform in the Norwegian North Sea in a single lift.

The Dutch contractor holds the engineering, preparation, removal and disposal contract for Statfjord A, a concrete gravity-base production platform on the field operated by Equinor and one of the oldest and largest installations in the North Sea. Pioneering Spirit will lift the entire topside with her motion-compensated topsides lifting system and deliver it to a disposal yard, where it will be dismantled and recycled.

Allseas has appointed ABL as marine warranty surveyor for the operation, which the consultancy describes as the world's heaviest offshore single lift. The appointment was announced on 23 September and awarded under ABL's existing framework agreement with Allseas in Norway.

ABL's scope covers an independent third-party technical review of the procedural documentation, marine assurance to verify that the proposed vessel fleet is suitable for the operation, and offshore attendance to witness and approve the lift. Its Norwegian office will lead the work with support from the group's North Sea decommissioning specialists.

"We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Allseas in Norway by supporting the safe execution of this trailblazing topside removal and offshore lift operation for Equinor," said Subbi Nookala, ABL's country manager in Norway. ABL is part of the Oslo-listed consultancy group Aqualis.

No date has been given for the lift itself. The campaign adds to a growing decommissioning workload in the North Sea, where demand for large-scale removal and recycling capacity is growing.

Allseas is also building a companion vessel for this kind of work. The semi-submersible heavy transport vessel Grand Tour, 230 metres long and able to carry up to 60,000 tonnes, is under construction at Guangzhou Shipyard International for delivery in the first quarter of 2028. She is designed to sit in Pioneering Spirit's bow slot and take structures directly from her.

This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 29 September 2026.