The £2.5 billion Montrose Area Redevelopment (MAR) in the North Sea has reached a major milestone with the installation of the new Montrose Bridge Linked Platform.
The 10,500 tonnes topsides were placed on the jacket by the SSCV Thialf crane vessel, marking the next phase of a project that will unlock an additional 100 million barrels of oil (boe) and extend the life of the Montrose Area to beyond 2030.
The Montrose Area, comprising the Montrose, Arbroath, Arkwright, Brechin, Wood, Godwin, Shaw and Cayley fields, is in four blocks 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Aberdeen.
Installation of the topsides was followed by installation of the bridge linking it to the Montrose Alpha platform, and of the flare boom.
Work will now on commissioning the plant and integration of the wells, with first production from the Shaw field expected during the first quarter of 2017.
Bill Dunnett, managing director of Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (formerly Talisman Sinopec Energy UK) said: “This is a major step forward for this project and a tangible demonstration of the long term commitment of our shareholders – Repsol and Sinopec – and partner, Marubeni, to the UK Continental Shelf.
“This is a completely new facility in our core infrastructure and will be a game-changer for this business. MAR adds significant production and maximises economic recovery from these historic assets.”
Oil and Gas Authority chief executive Andy Samuel said: “We are very pleased to see this important milestone in the redevelopment of the Montrose Area, which adds new fields and significant reserves, and also maximises economic recovery and extends the life of the existing fields.”
MAR will see the significant modification and expansion of the existing Montrose Area infrastructure, including the development of three new fields – Godwin, Cayley and Shaw.
The new bridge-linked platform will be connected to the Montrose Alpha platform – one of the oldest in the North Sea – to provide additional process and plant support facilities. Gross incremental production is expected to peak at up to 40,000 boe per day.
The topsides were built at Heerema Fabrication Group’s Zwijndrecht yard in the Netherlands from where it sailed out at the end of April.
The 71 metre bridge connecting Montrose Alpha and the new BLP weighs 350 tonnes. The bridge and flare were built at the Wilton Engineering Services yard on Teesside.
The MAR project has created and sustained more than 2,000 skilled jobs in the UK and Europe.
