Hummingbird Spirit FPSO set for Ping Petroleum Avalon oilfield

The Hummingbird Spirit FPSO has been given a new lease on life and a new owner; destined for the Ping Petroleum Avalon field in the North Sea.

Last week the vessel, formerly owned by Teekay, arrived in the Cromarty Firth on a wave of uncertainty around its future.

Teekay recently said it intends to deliver the vessel to the buyer in “June/July”, and that the sale covers decommissioning costs.

But Malaysia’s DNex, owner of North Sea operator Ping Petroleum, has announced Ping has acquired the vessel from Teekay for use on Avalon, 75 miles north-east of Aberdeen in the central North Sea.

Dnex described the acquisition of the Hummingbird as a “critical milestone in the Central North Sea Avalon Development Project”.

A source told Energy Voice that 10 members of the vessel’s crew have remained with the Hummingbird Spirit as it changed hands from Teekay to Ping Petroleum for Avalon.

The source also said that the FPSO will be in Nigg under a 12 month contract to refit the vessel before it makes its way to Avalon.

The Avalon development project continues to progress after receiving a letter of “no objections” in March from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) regarding Ping’s development plans.

Group managing director of DNeX, Tan Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, said: “We have a tangible asset ready with the newly acquired Sevan Hummingbird. Our next step is to secure approval for our Field Development Plan, which will be submitted in the coming months,”

© Supplied by DCTMedia/ Sandy McCo

Humminbird Spirit for Ping Avalon oilfield

Ping has recently granted a 19-month extension by NSTA to the second term of the P2006 licence containing Avalon, allowing the company additional time to gain full regulatory approval of the Avalon Field Development Plan.

The proposed development concept includes plans to deploy the Sevan Hummingbird FPSO at the Avalon field which will be modified to facilitate electrification from an external, low-carbon source.

Ping is looking into options to connect the vessel to a dedicated floating offshore wind turbine to power the facility, minimising diesel usage and associated Greenhouse Gas emissions.

The planned development allows the Dnex owned company to expand its portfolio of producing assets in full compliance with the UK’s energy security and Net Zero targets.