Offshore staff
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Maersk Oil has restarted oil production through the Gryphon Alpha FPSO in the UK northern North Sea.
The floater, stationed 175 mi (281 km) northeast of Aberdeen, sustained damage during a storm in February 2011 that caused four anchor chains to break and the vessel to move off station. There was also damage to thesubsea architecture.
Maersk towed the vessel to Damen shipyard in Rotterdam for repairs and upgrades. The full repair program included overhauls and upgrades to tanks, positioning and mooring systems, process control, and power management systems.
During this period of suspended offshore production, the company took the opportunity to acquire an extensive 4D seismic survey over the wider Gryphon area. In the same region, the company became operator of the Maclure field from BP, and performed a successful drilling campaign on the Tullich field. Both fields, along with Gryphon, North and South Gryphon, are produced via the FPSO.
“During the last two years, we have revaluated the [Gryphon] field’s potential using new seismic data. We are looking forward to a high level of drilling activity over the next couple of years, allowing us to maximize value from the reservoirs,” said a Maersk spokesman.
Once all the associated fields are fully operational over the coming months, production is expected to exceed 20,000 boe/d. Production from Gryphon is expected to continue for the next decade. The company is now aiming to double its UK production to 80-100,000 boe/d within seven years.
5/30/2013
