Marine Offshore Designers (MOD) were contracted by their client to provide Dimensional Control Surveys of two of the Shell Brent Platforms in the Northern North Sea, one in 2019 and one in 2022 and to install and precisely coordinate positioning aids. 

The Brent field, in the East Shetland basin of the North Sea was first drilled in 1971, with the four platforms installed between 1975 and 1978. 

The topsides were to be removed using a Heavy Lift Vessel, Pioneering Spirit, and the surveys were required to establish the positions of key points on the platforms as well as heading and inclination to assist in the positioning of the vessel.  Both Surveys required key points around the platform to be coordinated in various datums within precise parameters. 

For the project MOD utilised high specification Leica survey instrumentation, the GS14 GNSS Receiver and the TS12 Total Station, along with Wild Non-Automatic Levels. Alongside this up to the minute instrumentation, traditional traverse techniques were used and computed using the Least Squares method. Once the survey had been completed onboard safely and within the timeframe specified by the client, MOD Personnel presented the results in a report format as well as the RAW data as requested by the client. 

Since the initial survey took place, that platform topsides have successfully been removed in 2019 and the other is due to be removed in 2023.