Production drilling started on Mariner
Production drilling has started on the Statoil operated Mariner field in the UK North Sea.
Up to five wells will be drilled before the Mariner A platform hook up and commissioning activity starts next summer. First oil is expected to be produced from Mariner in 2018.
Hedda Felin, managing director, Statoil Production UK said, āThis is an exciting period for us as a UKCS operator as we transition from the planning phase to active offshore operations.ā
āPredrilling enables production to reach plateau levels more quickly after the start of operations on Mariner A. It will also be an important learning period for us in terms of understanding the reservoir and identifying potential efficiencies for future wells, with safety and the protection of the environment being our fundamental priorities.ā
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The Noble Lloyd Noble, the largest jack-up rig in the world, is currently positioned over the Mariner jacket which was installed in 2015. The first production wells will be drilled through a well deck on the jacket. Up to five wells will be drilled before the platform topside modules arrive mid-2017. In total up to 100 reservoir targets could be drilled over the lifetime of the Mariner field, based on the current development strategy.
Statoil has worked closely with major contractors Noble Drilling and Schlumberger to ensure safe and cost-effective operations. The rig contract was awarded to Noble Drilling in 2013, followed by the contract award for integrated drilling and completion services to Schlumberger in 2014. The pre-drilling campaign will support around 500 jobs in the UKCS.
The Mariner topside modules are currently under construction at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) in South Korea and sailaway is expected in the first half of 2017.
Mariner is one of the largest projects currently under development in the UKCS. Contracts worth over Ā£1billion have been awarded to date to the UK supply chain by the project.
Statoil (U.K.) Limited is the operator of Mariner with 65.11% equity. Co-venturers are J.X. Nippon Exploration & Production (UK) Limited (20 %), Siccar Point Energy (8.89%) and Dyas Mariner Limited (6%).
The Mariner field is located on the East Shetland Platform of the UK North Sea, approximately 95 miles or 150 kilometres east of the Shetland Isles. The heavy oil field has reserves estimated at more than 250 million barrels of oil with an average plateau production of around 55,000 barrels per day.
- The field will provide a long-term cash-flow over a 30-year field life. Production is expected to commence in 2018.
- The concept chosen includes a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform based on a steel jacket, with a floating storage unit (FSU).
- The steel jacket for the Mariner A platform was completed on time and within budget at the Dragados Offshore S.A. yard in Spain, and safely installed in the field in September 2015.
- The Floating Storage Unit - Mariner B ā is fully installed in the Mariner field with around 20 people on board.
- Noble Corporationās Ā«Noble Lloyd NobleĀ» jack-up rig ā which will assist the drilling of Mariner wells for the initial years ā was constructed in Singapore and arrived in the Mariner field earlier in November.
- The rig, the largest jack up in the world, stands 215m tall.
- The pipelines are installed in the Mariner field, and other subsea, umbilical, risers and flowline (SURF) operations have been completed.
- Statoil is an international energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, with operations in more than 30 countries.
- Statoil made the investment decision for the Mariner project in 2012, which entailed a gross investment of more than USD 7 billion. The development of the Mariner field will contribute more than 250 mmbbls reserves with average plateau production of around 55,000 barrels per day. The field will provide a long term cash-flow over a 30-year field life.
- Statoil is also operator of Utgard, a gas and condensate field which straddles the NCS/UKCS median line as well as the Bressay project. As well as being a partner in the Jupiter and Alba fields, the company also holds several exploration licences on the UKCS.
- Statoil opened its office in Aberdeen in 2013, and is currently building up its local organisation to prepare for installation, start-up and operation of the Mariner field.