Aker wins Vilje subsea contract
The operator Norsk Hydro has awarded a $20-million contract to Aker Kværner to supply subsea equipment for the Vilje subsea tieback to Marathon'Alvheimproduction vessel.
The Vilje field, in petroleum license PL036 in the Norwegian North Sea, will be tied back to the Alvheim production facilities 19 km away. The selected concept for development of Vilje is a two-satellite-well daisy chained arrangement with approximately 50-m separation. Vilje is a small oil field with reserves of around 50 MMbbl. Production is planned for February 2007.
Aker Kværner’s subsea company Kværner Oilfield Products will deliver engineering, procurement, and construction of two wellhead and subsea production tree systems, two production guide bases, protection structures, production control system, tie-in and connection systems, and future expansion. KOP’s project team in Lysaker, Tranby, and Egersund, Norway, and in Aberdeen, UK, will carry out design, fabrication, and testing through 2005 and 2006, with delivery between December 2005 and April 2006.
The contract is based on the frame agreement for subsea equipment between Norsk Hydro and KOP. The Vilje project will run in parallel with the newly awarded Fram Øst development. Both represent an expanding market of tieback solutions for marginal fields to existing or developing processing facilities and infrastructure in the North Sea.
Arthur subsea production
Mobil North Sea Ltd., a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corp., has produced first gas from the Arthur field in the southern UK North Sea. The field is a subsea development tied back to the existing ExxonMobil-operated Thames platform by a new 20-mi, 12-in. pipeline and umbilical.
The Arthur field, in block 53/02, is 30 mi east of Bacton, Norfolk, in 140 ft of water. It was discovered in October 2003.
The produced gas is exported via the existing pipeline to the Bacton terminal. The project is expected to produce at gross rates of up to 110 MMcf/d, with an ultimate recovery estimated at 130 bcf (gross).
“We are delighted to have been able to bring the field into production in just over a year using subsea technology and optimizing existing infrastructure to capture reserves faster and at lower unit development costs,” Robert Olsen, chairman, ExxonMobil International Ltd., said.
The field may ultimately comprise up to three development wells connected to the Arthur manifold via 8-in. pipelines and umbilicals. The Arthur 2 well will be spudded in the near future, and a potential third well may be drilled later in 2005.
MNSL is the operator of the field with 70% interest. Co-venturer EOG Resources United Kingdom Ltd., a subsidiary of EOG Resources Inc., holds the remaining 30%.
ExxonMobil is one of the largest producers of oil and gas in the UK, with interests in some 90 fields. In the northern North Sea, ExxonMobil operates the Beryl area complex and the SAGE gas system and terminal at St. Fergus. In the southern North Sea, in addition to operating the Arthur field and Thames complex, ExxonMobil also operates the Camelot, Lancelot, Guinevere, Excalibur, Galahad, and Malory fields.
Tampen subsea systems
Statoil ASA has awarded a $74-million contract to FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS to supply subsea systems for the Tampen area in the North Sea.
The contract includes six subsea trees, manifolds, production controls, and associated systems. Deliveries will begin in 2005 and will be completed in summer 2006.
The contract covers supplies for development of the Skinfaks field and to enable enhanced oil recovery from the Rimfaks field. Both fields will be tied back to the Gullfaks C platform via existing subsea infrastructure. The fields are in blocks 33/12 (Skinfaks) and 34/10 (Rimfaks) in the northern part of the Norwegian North Sea, in water depth of 460 ft. FMC Technologies previously supplied subsea systems for Gullfaks and other satellite fields in the development area.