Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – bp, Baker Hughes, and Odfjell Drilling have entered into a tripartite agreement to transform platform drilling and completions activity at the Clair field, 75 km (47 mi) west of Shetland.
As part of the five-year agreement, with the option to extend for a further four years, the alliance aims to improve production across Clair. It initially targets a 15% increase in average annual production on Clair Ridge, the second phase development of the field. This is expected to be achieved through drilling the best quality wells safely and more efficiently and harnessing the skills and expertise of each company in a single collaborative team.
This agreement sees the parties embark on a new progressive commercial relationship that will provide for sharing risk and reward, the companies said.
The new way of working will also use Integrated Operations Level (IO3) – what is said to be the most progressive, technologically-advanced model for shaping offshore work and onshore support. IO3 features a single well services provider working as part of an integrated operating team, using enabling technologies to move tasks onshore from offshore.
The Clair alliance will have a new governance structure with a project management team onshore and personnel from all three companies managing day-to-day drilling and completion operations offshore. The alliance will be overseen by a steering group of representatives from all three companies.
Emeka Emembolu, senior vice president, bp North Sea said: “Maximizing the Clair field’s 7-billion-barrel potential safely and efficiently is crucial to ensuring a sustainable future for our existing and future Clair developments. We believe the collaborative approach of the Clair alliance – where all parties work towards and are rewarded by achieving this common goal – is fundamental to achieving this…”
Marianne Davenport, vice president, Oilfield Services Europe, Baker Hughes added: “Using progressive remote operations models and digital solutions, this alliance is an important milestone on the shared journey towards safer, more profitable and lower carbon intensity operations.”
Odfjell Drilling said it will continue to provide platform drilling and drilling maintenance services on three of bp’s platforms in the UK North Sea (Clair, Clair Ridge, and Andrew). In addition, Odfjell Well Services will also provide integrated services covering equipment rental, wellbore clean up, and tubular running services.
Clair was discovered in 1977. However, challenging reservoir characteristics and technological limits of the time meant it was the mid-1990s before extensive drilling took place. bp and its partners approved a development plan in 2001. Production began in 2005 through the Clair Phase One platform, which was the first fixed platform west of Shetland. Clair Ridge delivered first oil in November 2018. It comprises two bridge-linked platforms.
05/28/2021
