Malcolm McCombie

Brae Alpha Area Decommissioning Project Manager – Substructure Removal Lead, TAQA Group

Module: Substructure Removal, Offshore Heavy Lift Planning & Execution

Biography

Malcolm McCombie is the Substructure Removal Lead for the Brae Alpha decommissioning programme within TAQA Group. He is responsible for the planning and execution of the removal of the Brae Alpha upper jacket as part of a multi-year Engineering, Preparation, Removal & Disposal (EPRD) campaign. This includes management of the EPRD contract with Allseas and oversight of offshore heavy lift execution strategy, structural preparation, interface management and disposal planning.

His role sits at the centre of one of the most complex phases of offshore decommissioning: transitioning a fixed platform from late-life condition to safe structural removal. He leads cross-functional engineering teams, contractors, joint venture partners and regulators to ensure the jacket removal campaign is technically robust, environmentally responsible and commercially controlled.

Prior to leading substructure removal at Brae Alpha, Malcolm delivered major decommissioning and reinstatement projects including Harding Rig Return to Service for plug and abandonment operations, Harding Decommissioning feasibility and removal strategy development, and Brae Bravo removal campaigns involving heavy lift vessels such as SSCV Thialf and Sleipnir.

His earlier career in offshore engineering provides the technical foundation that underpins his current leadership of large-scale structural removal programmes.

Experience & Expertise

Substructure and jacket removal leadership
EPRD contract management with Allseas
Offshore heavy lift campaign planning
Structural preparation and engineering assurance
Topsides and jacket interface management
Define-to-Execute phase governance
JV partner and regulator engagement
Removal strategy optimisation
Safe, compliant and cost-controlled asset retirement
Brae Bravo removal campaigns (SSCV Thialf and Sleipnir)
Harding Rig Return to Service and decommissioning feasibility

Training Course Module | Substructure Removal and Onshore Demolition

Malcolm McCombie delivers his Lean Decom training course module, Substructure Removal and Onshore Demolition. In this module, he provides a comprehensive walkthrough of the substructure removal planning and execution for the Brae Bravo platform, outlining the decision context required to manage the recovery and dismantling of one of the North Sea’s largest steel jackets.

Malcolm covers the technical sequencing of the offshore campaign, including the installation of work platforms, the execution of over thirty subsea cuts using diamond wire technology, and the critical requirements for weather windows to perform the heavy lift. He also shares professional guidance on the industrial reality of the demolition yard, discussing the repatriation of radioactive materials, the repurposing of marine growth for compost, and the target of reaching up to 95+ percent recycling for jacket structures.

You can access the training course here.

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