Helix Energy Solutions Wins Major Offshore Victory

Helix Energy Solutions, a US-based offshore services company, has been awarded a contract to decommission 39 wells, 15 pipelines and seven structures in the US Gulf of Mexico by an unnamed customer. The project has been awarded to Louisiana-based Helix Alliance and is scheduled to begin in mid-2023. The contract value has not been disclosed.

Helix Alliance will use its EPIC hedron heavy duty derrick barges for structure removal, lift boats for plug and demolition work, the Triton explorer diving support vessel for pipeline decommissioning, as well as several Helix Alliance offshore support vessels (OSVs) and several other assets during the campaign. The EPIC hedron is a 1,763 tonne capacity derrick heavy lift barge with a fully-slewing crane and accommodation for 300 people.

Owen Kratz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Helix, said: “We are pleased that Helix has been awarded this significant well and structure removal and decommissioning contract.” He added that the award underscores Helix’s position as a pre-eminent company for full field decommissioning on the Gulf of Mexico shelf, as well as the company’s other services supporting the full lifecycle of offshore fields, having expanded its decommissioning services through the acquisition of Alliance most recently year.

Helix Energy Solutions has expanded through a number of acquisitions over the years, with the most recent being Helix Alliance. The company provides services such as oil and gas exploration, drilling, and decommissioning services among others. The offshore services company has been working in the Gulf of Mexico since 1981.

The decommissioning of offshore infrastructure is becoming a major industry, especially in mature fields like the Gulf of Mexico. An increasing number of companies are positioning themselves to take advantage of an increase in decommissioning opportunities in this area and beyond as the industry continues to age. The increasing number of oil rigs that have reached the end of their planned operational lives has also created a demand for decommissioning services and is therefore expected to grow in the coming years.


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