Getting closer!

To the end, that is. 
Well, not the end as such I truly hope. More like to the end of this very long line of pipe out here at sea. We have surveyed the majority of it now. Just need to do some checking of risers and stuff out here where the old Schieallion FPSO used to stay. That old barge has finally been removed now, and we are currently waiting for the replacement thing, named Glen Lyon to get finished off and sent out here. 
You can read a little bit more over here, if you bother... All I can tell out of it is that it's a fairly big project, but then again my ship has been working more or less non-stop on this field for 13 years. Wouldn't do that just for fun, I would believe?
We did lots of the dirty work of dismantling things between mother earth and the old Schiehallion thing, but it seems like my vessel, the Subsea Viking (I know, looks like shite here, but that's what the area west of Shetland do to a vessel...), is getting swapped out by a newish vessel soon. The old beating west of Shetland has taken it's toll on this old lady, but I think there's no doubt that we would manage to put the new FPSO in place as well, if we ever were given the chance. After all we got some good competence and know-how on board after all these years. 
Well, it's not in our hands, or heads, to decide things like that. We got brighter brains ashore to do the thinking for us. At least such kind of thinking...

OK! Not what you by any means would call a great photograph in any way. Case is that the thing in the middle never was too good looking anyway, so doesn't matter to much I would say. But it lasted for a while out here in this area, and believe me when I tell you that the weather you see in this picture is not exactly the usual state of the sea west of Shetland! I have no idea of which camera, film, lens or developer used. Probably Rodinal, I would say.

Anyway, seems like we already have a contract for some work waiting for us when we are due to leave the west of Shetland area for good some time this summer. Early june has been mentioned, but I have stopped listening to rumors of dates long ago when it comes to this business. We shall see. 
We shall also see if this is the last they will see of us up at this field, because after all bringing a new ship on this contract might not be as easy as the bright heads ashore seem to believe. 
Then again, it might function alright for what we know :)

One more then, of this giant of oil production for the UK up through the years. This is history now, and I can at least guarantee you that these snaps are among the last taken of this thing on film, And if there are later snaps on film of it, I'm the one who got them somewhere in my files. Not to many souls out here dealing with film anymore, as you might have guessed. Would have been nice to be the first and last one to snap the Glen Loyal on film as well, when that one is into postition, but looks like someone else might get the chance. Not that anyone would bother...