Decommissioning in the North Sea has become one of the defining offshore tasks of this decade. Spend on UKCS projects passed £2 billion for the first time in 2024, reaching a record £2.4 billion, and the pace of work is expected to keep climbing. The basin’s long operating history has made it a hub for this kind of activity, and a training ground for how to deliver it well. Over time, a capable, hard-won decommissioning workforce has grown here, supported by yards, marine expertise, engineering depth and a regulatory framework that demands rigour. With a managed transition, that expertise is increasingly exportable, particularly as neighbouring basins such as the Norwegian shelf and the Dutch sector move into heavier late-life and removal cycles of their own.

That rising workload is arriving in a system already under pressure. Decommissioning is accelerating at the same time as offshore wind and carbon storage expand, and the overlap is tightening competition for vessels, port capacity and skilled people. Cost, timing and methodology are now inseparable questions, and each one involves a crowded table of stakeholders. The message from OEUK’s latest decommissioning insight is a sensible one: the market will only stay healthy if growth is handled in a way that protects long-term supply-chain resilience. We agree. The decade ahead needs staged, well-prepared programmes that keep discipline on cost while recognising the offshore realities that shape schedules and decisions.

NMC Energy’s Approach

At NMC Energy, our work sits right in the middle of that reality. We are decommissioning specialists with a strong foundation in the UK Continental Shelf, delivering integrated project management and EPC solutions that connect operators, contractors, regulators and the wider supply chain from planning through offshore execution. It is important to stay close to commercial constraints without losing sight of offshore risk, and it means working in a measured, practical way when asset conditions, schedules or market availability shift. That is why continual improvement sits at the heart of how we operate as a business, raising standards from one campaign to the next and supporting clients through late-life transition and solutions-led execution.

 Constant Improvement in a Tightening Market

The decommissioning market is getting bigger and more complex, and that puts a premium on constant improvement. We continue to focus on raising standards across every campaign, refining how we work and evolving our delivery model, so it stays efficient and cost-effective as conditions change.

Much of our current workload reflects the natural transition from late-life operations into removal. Anyone who has worked in that phase knows timing can be uncertain and conditions evolve quickly once production winds down. The right response is steady, measured delivery that keeps decisions grounded and we aim to provide exactly that. With clear upfront engineering and practical problem-solving, campaigns can move swiftly and safely.

Our recent work with Spirit Energy is a good example. On the F3FA platform decommissioning and removal, we provided full lifecycle project management and engineering, managing EPC installation alongside engineering, preparation, removal and disposal. That included onshore and offshore operations, transport and yard interface, marine warranty coordination and HSE oversight. In the Morecambe Field, our role managing DP3 and DP4 through late-life transition into lighthouse status and onward removal demanded careful sequencing and constant alignment across stakeholders. These examples illustrate a delivery style that stays consistent across different assets and different constraints. Our approach is to prepare properly and execute with control, and carry the learning forward.

A Human-Centric Delivery Model

Decommissioning is as complex as new construction as it often draws on the same breadth of capability and often adds harder operating conditions. Divers, multiple engineering disciplines, heavy-lift and marine specialists, project managers, HSE teams, yard and disposal partners all have to work as one system. The complexity of that system is why we keep a human-centric model. Skilled workers, offshore crews and technical specialists sit at the heart of everything we do, because the work demands judgement only gained through experience.

Across the UKCS, demand for skilled resources is climbing quickly, while the wider offshore economy is pulling from the same labour pool. If we want the industry to be ready for the volume ahead, we have to develop the next generation now and make sure knowledge and craft skills move with them. Our approach blends long-standing expertise with newer, eager talent. That mix helps us keep raising standards while expanding our client base, and it gives younger professionals a real view of why oil, gas and decommissioning remain meaningful, future-focused career paths.

The North Sea is a demanding place to learn, but it is also a centre of excellence. The UK’s operating environment has built a uniquely capable workforce and supply chain whose skills translate into international markets. As neighbouring regions like the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the Dutch sector move deeper into late-life and removal cycles, the opportunity to export UK expertise grows. We see that as a positive pathway for the people entering the industry today, by building capability here, it can be applied globally.

Energy Transition as a Practical Driver

Energy transition and decommissioning are closely linked in ways that are very real on the waterfront and offshore. As we retire assets, we assess what can be reused or repurposed to support future energy systems. That work begins early in a programme, because disposal outcomes are shaped by decisions made long before a heavy-lift vessel arrives.

Regulators and operators are pushing for higher reuse and recycling rates, and the supply chain is responding with better material pathways and smarter dismantling methods. We treat waste planning as core engineering, an approach that reduces landfill, tightens environmental performance, and helps control cost by removing surprises late in the campaign.

There is also a broader offshore logic at play. Decommissioning keeps the basin workable for what follows. Removing end-of-life infrastructure reduces seabed congestion and closes out legacy risk, which supports orderly development of new offshore projects.

Supply Chain Resilience and Responsible Growth

We are operating in a market where expectations have changed. Tier-two suppliers are bringing fresh thinking and adaptability into campaigns, and there is far less room for outdated practices or uncontrolled spending. This is a healthy push, as the industry cannot afford complacency when cost pressure is running high and work is accelerating.

We recognise that performance is determined by the strength of the team and by the clarity of the delivery model.  At NMC Energy, our service offering covers full package management, including DPPA, EPC, full engineering, procurement and associated construction elements, allowing us to keep accountability clear and interfaces tight across an entire scope.

It is also impossible to ignore the strain some organisations are feeling as workloads rise. No one wants to see supply-chain capability lost from the basin. At the same time, our steady pipeline shows that demand remains strong when projects are approached efficiently and responsibly. The work will keep growing. The question is whether the sector grows in a way that stays sustainable.

Looking Ahead

The North Sea is entering a pivotal stretch with rising costs, tightening schedules and the industry is managing multiple offshore frontiers at once. Decommissioning will prosper if it is delivered with strong preparation and a constant-improvement mindset that keeps offshore risk and operator economics in view at the same time.

For NMC Energy, we will keep refining how we deliver by investing in people as well as supporting operators through late-life transition and removal with measured, solutions-led execution. That is how we protect safety, improve environmental outcomes, and help the basin move forward at pace.