Extensive installation work will be performed this summer on the Statoil-operated Skinfaks and Rimfaks fields in the Tampen area of the North Sea.
Skinfaks and Rimfaks will be developed as a combined subsea facility and tied in to the Gullfaks C platform.
”Utilising the infrastructure in the Tampen area, the Skinfaks and Rimfaks development represents good resource utilisation at low investment costs. The fields will also be important contributors to the total production from the Tampen area in 2007 and in the years to come,” says Lars Christian Bacher, head of the Tampen business cluster in Exploration & Production Norway (UPN).
Performed under water, the tie-in to Gullfaks C requires shutdown of two central templates during the 40-day work period.
The work is well under way. A total of 26 subsea connections will be performed in an extensive logistics operation that involves several vessels.
The vessel Normand Cutter has started the most demanding operation, removing existing pipe coils and replacing these with four new ones that will connect a tie-in manifold to the existing subsea facility. This work operation is performed by Saipem UK.
In early July the installation of a total of four pipelines will start from the vessel Skandi Navica. The pipe laying in July will be followed by control cable installation from the Skandi Neptun vessel. In addition, several vessels will be used by Saipem UK for installation and tie-in activities. The work on the 26 subsea connections will continue until the autumn.
Rimfaks is scheduled to come on stream in December 2006.
The licensees of the development project are Statoil (61%), Petoro (30%) and Hydro (9%).