Stunning drone footage has captured the moment Aberdeen’s new South Harbour welcomed its first ever drilling rig.
The mammoth Noble Innovator jack-up, and its 656ft high legs, arrived in the Granite City earlier this month.
It is now a feature of Aberdeen’s skyline, and will be for a number of weeks, while maintenance work is carried out on the vessel, before it goes on contract for supermajor BP.
Shared by Port of Aberdeen, the video shows Noble Innovator being guided into the £400m South Harbour Expansion, where it is now docked.
It came just days after Press & Journal sister website Energy Voice revealed that huge new vessels, like jack-up rigs, were on the way for development.
Since arriving in Europe’s oil capital, the rig has garnered a lot of attention, with hopes the city could become a base for vessel maintenance work, delivering industrial benefits to the region.
Not everyone is on board though, with local residents in Torry, which is next to the South Harbour, criticising a lack of community input into the vessel’s arrival.
The Noble Innovator will spend between 60 and 90 days in the Aberdeen South Harbour while maintenance work is carried out.
Once complete, it will go on contract with BP, carrying out decommissioning work in the Central North Sea.
Aberdeen welcomes huge oil rig as UK drilling sector gets vital shot in the arm
Port of Aberdeen says the maintenance work scope will benefit the city’s economy and create jobs in the region through a “multi-million pound investment in local contract awards”.
Earlier this month, BP North Sea senior vice president Doris Reiter, said: “The business decisions BP is taking today continue to positively impact the economy of Aberdeen, as they have for nearly 60 years.
“Our contract with Noble supports the supply chain to seize opportunities on our doorstep and demonstrate its world-class decommissioning capabilities.”