Decontamination of a full North Sea completion spread – including Xmas tree, valves and over 180 tubular joints – at Sureclean’s Oldmeldrum NORM facility, completed within 20 days and delivered at over 30% cost saving through an optimised handling workflow.

Sector: Offshore oil & gas – well services
Location: North-east Scotland (onshore)
Client: Major North Sea operator (anonymised)
Services: NORM decontamination, tubular and Xmas tree cleaning, waste management, workflow optimisation

Overview

Following a completion pull on a North Sea jack-up rig, a full spread of well equipment – including a Xmas tree and large volumes of tubulars – required rapid, compliant NORM decontamination before inspection, storage and potential reuse.

Sureclean processed the entire batch at our Oldmeldrum NORM Decontamination Facility, adapting the setup mid-scope to increase throughput. The result: a fully compliant turnaround inside 20 days and a cost saving of more than 30% against the original budget.

The Challenge

The scope comprised equipment from a single well completion, including:

• 1 x Xmas tree
• 1 x hanger
• 1 x subsurface safety valve (SSSV)
• 1 x 5½” × 4½” crossover
• 45 joints of 5½” tubing
• 139 joints of 4½” tubing

Key requirements:

• Process the first batch of tubulars under a new multi-year contract
• Deliver within a tight 20-day allocation
• Maintain high-quality decontamination and NORM controls
• Keep costs under control while coordinating multiple service lines (decon, inspection prep, waste handling)

Sureclean’s Solution

All equipment was transported to and processed at Sureclean’s specialist NORM Decontamination Facility in Oldmeldrum, using our established industrial cleaning and waste management infrastructure.

After the initial tubes were cleaned, the team:

• Analysed handling and process flow across the decon line
• Introduced a revised handling configuration to improve speed and minimise idle time
• Re-sequenced work between service lines to optimise time, labour and equipment utilisation
• Maintained strict NORM monitoring, segregation and documentation throughout

This ability to adapt the process mid-scope – without compromising quality or compliance – was central to the project’s success.appropriate permits, pressure testing and continuous communication between onshore and offshore teams.

Results

The optimised workflow delivered:

• Full scope completed within the 20-day allocation
• Faster, more reliable turnaround, with clear scheduling for the client’s logistics and planning teams
• Full compliance and documentation, including NORM records and Certificates of Cleanliness as required

The client acknowledged the:

Fast turnaround, quality assurance and cost-effective delivery,
specifically recognising Sureclean’s flexibility, efficiency and ability to adapt processes mid-scope.

What this shows about Sureclean

This campaign highlights how Sureclean’s engineered NORM decontamination capability and Oldmeldrum facility turn high-volume tubular projects into predictable, value-adding operations:

• Optimised workflows that reduce time, labour and cost
• Integrated decontamination and waste management that keeps NORM under tight control
• A mindset of continuous improvement and innovation to support safer, more sustainable well operations.