Oil and gas firm Ithaca Energy said today the floating production vessel for its Athena field has set off for the North Sea.
The BW Athena was in Dubai Dry Docks World undergoing modifications for its use on the Outer Moray Firth Athena field.
Aberdeen-based Ithaca said the vessel would be met by a dedicated guard vessel due to security issues it could face.
Ithaca said it hopes to start production in the second quarter of this year once the vessel has been hooked up to a pre-installed production system.
Production is expected to be reach about 22,000 barrels of oil per day – about 5,000 net to Ithaca.
Athena is operated by Ithaca with 22.5% interest, with Dyas UK holding 47.5%, EWE Aktiengesellschaft 20% and Zeus Petroleum 10%.