Saipem tenders five offshore vessel contracts for Northern Endurance Partnership

Saipem has issued tenders for five offshore vessel contracts to support the construction of the Northern Endurance Partnership carbon transport and storage project. The engineering, procurement and construction firm is seeking to secure a jack-up barge to aid offshore construction, with a budget of up to five million pounds allocated for the contract. This vessel is required for the project, which serves as the transport and storage arm for the East Coast Cluster carbon capture initiative.

In addition to the jack-up barge, Saipem has tendered for two platform supply vessels to transport goods, equipment, fuel and personnel offshore. This contract, valued at just under five million pounds, requires the vessels to be deployed for a period of two months. The project also necessitates one dive support vessel for the removal of midling spools over a three-week period, a deal worth more than five million pounds. Three anchor handling tugs are also being tendered, with a predicted date in the first quarter of 2027. These tugs will be required for one month, with a maximum of five million pounds allotted for the contract.

A separate contract for the fabrication of installation aids and diffusers to support offshore construction has also been tendered for the latter part of 2026. The Northern Endurance Partnership recently completed two appraisal wells in late October, marking a significant step in the construction of the carbon storage project. After a year of exploration in the Southern North Sea, the partnership intends to use the findings to provide insights into how the United Kingdom could expand its future carbon dioxide storage capacity. The appraisal included geophysical surveys, environmental assessments and offshore studies across licence areas CS006 and CS007.

Rich Denny, managing director of the Northern Endurance Partnership, stated that the successful completion of the C44/27-3 appraisal well marks the culmination of a significant programme of work. He noted that, together with positive results from the C43/30 well, new seismic data and offshore survey campaigns, a strong technical foundation has been established for the next phase of project development. These activities demonstrate continued progress in developing infrastructure needed to support industrial decarbonisation across the Humber and Teesside regions. Offshore construction officially began over the summer, following the arrival of pipelines at the port of Hartlepool, which underwent major expansion works to facilitate the project. Associated projects, such as the 742 megawatt Net Zero Teeside Power project, are also progressing, with a turbine from GE Vernova arriving at the Redcar Bulk Terminal on Teesside.