A leading metals processing company has announced plans to construct a new dedicated decommissioning facility at Montrose Port for offshore oil and gas infrastructure which has reached the end of its service life, to help meet demand for the service in the North Sea.

John Lawrie Metals Ltd has signed a 12-year lease with Montrose Port for the decommissioning site on the port’s South Quay, which is now Permitted under the Waste Management and Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 and the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018. Under these permits, the site is capable of handling and processing all types of materials produced during an offshore decommissioning campaign, having direct quayside access, enabling ease of discharge and handover of client materials.

This new quayside operation will have the ability to downsize and process the imported infrastructure components onsite, as well as the potential to ship direct from the Port with little or no road transportation required – reducing the overall carbon footprint of the operation.

The project is part of a wider growth strategy by John Lawrie Metals, which is also expanding its decommissioning capabilities at Aberdeen Harbour. John Lawrie is corporate sponsor of this week’s Decom North Sea exhibition at Aberdeen Harbour where the company will also be exhibiting.

John Lawrie Metals and Montrose Port Authority already have a long-standing working relationship spanning over 30 years. John Lawrie’s Tubulars operations regularly uses the Port for receiving and shipping steel tubulars.

The project aligns with Montrose Port Authority’s commitment to supporting the energy transition – not only through supporting the creation of a new era of renewable energy infrastructure, but also through responsibly dismantling and recycling the oil and gas infrastructure of yesteryear. John Lawrie Metals’ aim of ‘zero to landfill’ keeps the decommissioned materials in the circular economy which is a key component of the port’s carbon neutral strategy.

Captain Tom Hutchison, CEO at Montrose Port Authority, said: “We are delighted to welcome John Lawrie Metals to the Port as a permanent tenant and I’m particularly pleased to be able to continue the diversification of the Port estate into the decommissioning sector.

“We are ideally positioned at Montrose to be a hub for all offshore activities due to our close road links to the central belt and Aberdeen, as well as the short passage to many of the major North Sea oil and gas fields. We are also Europe’s biggest chain and anchor port, meaning we already have experience and capability for heavy lifting and storage on the quayside.”

Dave Weston, MD John Lawrie Metals added: “Having worked with Montrose Port for some time now we are pleased to have secured this agreement which means we can offer the energy industry an even more comprehensive decommissioning service. Having a facility direct on the quayside will make for a more efficient and streamlined operation for our clients.”

In recent years, Montrose Port Authority has secured several high-profile projects including the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base, which is currently under construction on the Port’s South Quay, and due for completion by the end of 2021.