The Mariner Filed was discovered in 1981. But it wasn’t until 2007 that Statoil entered the license as operator in a bid to unlock its resources.
The Norwegian Oil Giant was given the go-ahead for production in 2012 and predicted that the field would spud its first oil in 2017.
Initially the firm did not have local offices, but the submission of formal plans for headquarters in Aberdeen earlier this year reflected commitment with 200 staff sought for the centre.
Its multi-billion dollar sister project, Bressay, was then tabled in Novemeber 2013, four months before the Mariner voyage took off.
In the 28th UK North Sea licensing round, Statoil was credited all the accerage it applied for with dozen licenses are located in the vicinity of the Mariner.