A newly-built jacket for Apache’s Forties field was due in field in the North Sea last week – in the year that this former oil giant was due to cease production under original operator BP.
The 5,500-tonne, 126m (413ft) high jacket, for Apache’s Forties Alpha satellite platform, is the largest to be designed and built on the River Tyne, according to its fabricator, OGN.
It set sail from OGN’s Hadrian Yard on August 21 and was due infield to be lifted into place by the heavy-lift vessel Thialf last week.
Topsides for the platform are due infield in April next year, Apache having decided to fully commission the facilities onshore, complete with a bridge link to the Forties Alpha platform.
Drilling will start in the third quarter.
The project, awarded to OGN in 2010, will bring new life to the Forties Alpha installation, which has been in production more than 35 years.
The investment was sparked by a need for 18 new well slots following seismic work on the field and infill drilling, as well as for additional power generation, gas lift and water capability for the entire field.
As a greenfield project, it also meant minimising impact on the existing Forties Alpha platform.
In addition, Jim House, regional president and managing director of Apache North Sea, said: “Technical teams are continuing to pursue new opportunities that will add further recoverable reserves to the balance.
“A new 3D seismic acquisition survey is planned for 2013 that will be converted to a 4D interpretation, which has been a key driver of success for locating bypassed or unswept oil reserves.”
Apache says it spent some £3billion on Forties in 2011, extending the life of the field by more than 18 years.
When it bought the field off BP in 2003 it was estimated to contain 144million barrels equivalent (boe) and has since produced more than 180 million boe with 130 million boe of proven reserves yet to deliver, said House.
Prior to the sale, some at BP believed Forties was capable of delivering up to 400million further barrels. BP had produced 2.4billion barrels from Forties.