Kistos Secures Rig and Heavylift Vessel for Dutch North Sea Decommissioning Campaign

UK-listed energy company Kistos has taken a significant step toward retiring its Q10-A gas field in the Dutch North Sea, securing contracts for both a drilling rig and a heavy lift vessel to execute the field's decommissioning programme, according to Splash247. The company disclosed the two contracts as part of its interim results, confirming that offshore decommissioning work is scheduled to begin in 2028. The contracted rig will conduct a single plug-and-abandonment (P&A) campaign to safely seal the field's wells, while the heavy lift vessel will be responsible for the removal of topside infrastructure and subsea structures. ## Decommissioning Context The Q10-A field decommissioning reflects the broader maturation of the Dutch North Sea basin, where ageing gas infrastructure is increasingly reaching the end of its productive life. Decommissioning activity in the southern North Sea has been accelerating in recent years as operators balance regulatory obligations with cost management in a complex energy transition environment. Plug-and-abandonment operations represent one of the most technically demanding and costly phases of the decommissioning lifecycle. Securing rig capacity well in advance — with offshore work still approximately three years away — is consistent with industry best practice, allowing operators to lock in competitive day rates and ensure scheduling certainty in a market where specialist vessel availability can be constrained. The use of a dedicated heavylift vessel alongside the P&A rig indicates a comprehensive scope of work, encompassing both well integrity operations and the physical removal of surface and subsea assets. ## Regulatory and Financial Obligations Decommissioning liabilities in the Dutch North Sea are governed by the Netherlands' State Supervision of Mines (SodM) and aligned with broader EU and OSPAR Convention obligations, which mandate the removal of offshore installations once production ceases. Operators are required to submit detailed decommissioning programmes for regulatory approval, and early contracting of specialist vessels is often a prerequisite for meeting those timelines. By disclosing the contracts within its interim financial results, Kistos signals transparency around its decommissioning cost provisions — an area of increasing scrutiny from investors and regulators alike as North Sea operators manage end-of-field-life expenditures. The awards are expected to support activity in the specialist offshore decommissioning sector, which continues to attract investment in vessel capacity and well intervention technology as the volume of North Sea decommissioning projects grows through the late 2020s.