Offshore staff
LONDON – The first export cargo of oil from the Catcher Area development in the UK central North Sea – around 500,000 bbl – was lifted yesterday, according to operator Premier Oil.
This was earlier than anticipated: a second cargo should follow during the third week of February.
Currently four production wells - two from the Catcher field and two from the Varadero field - are online.
Their initial combined flow rate was more than 60,000 b/d, but this is at present constrained to roughly 20,000 b/d while final commissioning is completed of the gas processing modules on theFPSOBW Catcher.
Commissioning of the water injection system has already finished and the gas import/export pipeline now fully open to the SEGAL pipeline, with booster compression test runs concluded.
The next stages of gas treatment and export compression commissioning are due to follow, with the switch to fuel gas for the main power generation and ancillary boilers due to start this week.
Once the gas systems, including gas export, are fully available, production will begin from the Burgman field, with output from the Catcher Area ramping up to 60,000 b/d during 2Q.
01/24/2018
