This is why a huge oil platform has been spotted off the North-East coast

The huge Brent Bravo oil platform can be seen of the Hartlepool coast ahead of arrival at Seaton Port.
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The 25,000 tonne Brent Bravo topsides from the North Sea are off the coast of Hartlepool after arriving on Allseas’ record-breaking heavy lift and pipelay vessel Pioneering Spirit.

Following its arrival off the North-East coast, the platform, which stands 410ft tall and 230ft wide, will be transferred to the Allseas cargo barge “Iron Lady” for the final leg of its journey, to Able Seaton port where it will be dismantled and decommissioned.

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It will travel up the Seaton Channel and load-in to the quay at Able UK’s yard for dismantling.

The Brent Bravo Oil Platform as it passes the Wind Turbines, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool. Picture by FRANK REID The Brent Bravo Oil Platform as it passes the Wind Turbines, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool. Picture by FRANK REID
The Brent Bravo Oil Platform as it passes the Wind Turbines, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool. Picture by FRANK REID

The arrival at Able Seaton Port is expected to take place this afternoon.

Completed early Tuesday morning, the operation to load the platform onto the barge took around 4 hours, from positioning the vessel around the platform to the moment of the lift. The actual “fast lift” of the topsides took only NINE seconds.

The 125m-tall, 70m wide topsides have since been sea-fastened on board Pioneering Spirit for transport to the Able UK decommissioning yard.

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Brent Bravo is the second of four platforms, after Brent Delta in 2017, to be decommissioned and removed from the Brent oil and gas field.

The Brent Bravo Oil Platform off the Headland (right) with the Aliseas Pioneering Spirit. Hartlepool. Picture by FRANK REID The Brent Bravo Oil Platform off the Headland (right) with the Aliseas Pioneering Spirit. Hartlepool. Picture by FRANK REID
The Brent Bravo Oil Platform off the Headland (right) with the Aliseas Pioneering Spirit. Hartlepool. Picture by FRANK REID

Located 186 km off the northeast coast of the Shetland Islands, the Brent Bravo platform comprised a topsides structure supported by three 12m diameter steel-reinforced concrete legs, which stand in 140m of water.