Offshore staff
LONDON – Weather and technical issues have slowed progress on the Rhum field R3 well intervention project in the UK northern North Sea, according to operator Serica Energy.
There have been 11 days of downtime due to bad weather, compounded by failure of certain equipment on the semisubmersible WilPhoenix, which occurred on Nov. 16.
Awilco Drilling said the repairs have been completed but the rig remains on zero rate in readiness for weather conditions to improve. It should resume operations in a couple of days and then remain at Rhum through later January.
Serica also confirmed the formal award by the UK Oil & Gas Authority of blocks 3/25b, 3/30, 4/26 and 9/5a close to the Bruce hub that hosts production from Rhum.
The work program does not include commitment wells but is designed to mature various leads to drill-ready status.
Elsewhere, the company has opted to withdraw from exploration offshore Namibia, where it has held License 047 since November 2011, and will now focus on the North Sea.
The pace of exploration generally in Namibia has been slower than anticipated, the company said, adding that development of a discovery could have been costly and time consuming.
12/15/2020
