ENB today has the first images of the Northern Endeavour floating production, storage and offloading vessel at its Singaporean pit-stop, as it is readied for its final journey to a Danish decommissioning yard.

As reported, the controversial FPSO left the Timor Sea's Laminaria-Coralina fields last month, where it had been for the past 26 years.

Since then, it has been towed by the Normand Sirius to Seatrium's Singaporean dry dock.

While there the vessel's flare tower will be removed, tank cleaning and gas freeing work will be completed, the hull will be cleaned and painted, hull protrusions (including risers, mooring chains and turret) will be trimmed and it will be given a final onceover to ready it for its trip to Europe. Nothing will be removed for reuse or salvage while the FPSO is in Singapore.

"The departure of the Northern Endeavour represents another change in gear for the project," said Josie Phillips, regional director for APAC at Petrofac, which has been overseeing the decom project for the Australian government.

"Although we still have a few more weeks of work to complete this incredibly challenging project, the end is in sight now. Across the extended team, comprising Petrofac and our supply chain partners, there's a strong sense of a job well done.

"Together, we've really built up the capability in the local decommissioning sector, putting us in a strong potion for future late life asset management and decommissioning work," added Phillips.

Once it the work has been completed, the FPSU will be loaded on to Cosco's Hua Rui Long for its final journey to Modern American Recycling Services (MARS)'s shipyard in Denmark where it will be dismantled and recycled.

The departure of the Northern Endeavour was described as a "bittersweet moment" for many people on Petrofac's Northern Endeavour decommissioning team.

The firm's offshore installation Brendan White and Mark Parry both worked on the original construction and commissioning of the vessel and spent much of their subsequent careers on board.

"Obviously, it's a time of mixed emotions," said White. "My history with the vessel dates back 25 years, and it's been central to my working life for the past five years. So, yes, of course, I'm sorry to see her go. But it's satisfying to have seen the project through. It's been an incredible experience with an incredible bunch of people, and a project that really builds Petrofac's decommissioning credentials."

The Department of Industry, Science and Research (DISR), which is in charge of the project, is currently running a tender process focused on the permanent plugging and abandonment (P&A) of the nine wells in the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields.

Click here to read ENB's deep dive on the history of the turbulent history of the Northern Endeavour.