Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (RSRUK) claim its flagship £1.6billion North Sea project is still on schedule despite extending a contract for an offshore accommodation vessel for a third time.
Oslo-listed vessel-owner Prosafe said the Aberdeen-based operator had extended the charter of the Safe Boreas for its Montrose Area Redevelopment (MAR)for another 17 days.
The MAR project comprises of the redevelopment of several old North Sea fields and the development of new fields the Cayley and the Shaw.
RSRUK, who acquired Talisman Sinopec in early 2015, announced the arrival of the Safe Boreas at the site in March 2016.
The floating accommodation vessel was expected to be in the area until the fourth quarter of last year.
But since it arrived the charter has been extended three times due to bad weather hampering operations.
Rough weather means the link up to the accommodation vessel must be severed until calmer conditions prevail.
Despite the charter extensions, RSRUK claim that they are still expecting the Shaw field go onstream by the end of March.
A spokesman for the company said: “The plan is that we would still expect first oil from the Shaw before the end of Q1.”
Production is expected to follow in Q2 from the Caley field.
The MAR project involves the modification and expansion of the existing infrastructure as well as the development of three new fields – Godwin, Cayley and Shaw.
The lifespan of the area’s existing fields, including the includes the Montrose, Arbroath, Arkwright, Brechin, Wood, is expected to be prolonged by at least 13 years, to beyond 2030.
Shaw is being developed as a subsea tie-back to a new bridge linked platform, whose installation was announced in May 2016.
RSRUK is the operator of MAR with a working interest of 58.97%. Marubeni Oil & Gas (UK) is the sole partner.
The Montrose area includes the Montrose, Arbroath, Arkwright, Brechin, Wood, Godwin, Shaw and Cayley fields.
RSRUK is jointly owned by Repsol (51%) and Chinese firm Sinopec Group (49%) following the Spanish energy giant’s acquisition of the global assets of the former Talisman Energy in 2015.
It operates 10 fixed offshore platforms, two floating production facilities, and an onshore terminal at Flotta in Orkney.