Talisman Sinopec UK (TSEUK)’s new Montrose platform has begun its journey to the Central North Sea. The infrastructure will play a critical role in unlocking an additional 100 million barrels of oil equivalent in the area.
The topsides for the Montrose Bridge Linked Platform (BLP) sailed from the Heerema Fabrication Group’s Zwijndrecht yard 12 miles south of Rotterdam.
It will make a short stopover in Schiedam, where an 80-tonne pedestal crane and the upper sections of the exhaust stacks will be attached, before travelling 420 nautical miles to the Montrose area located in Block 22/17, in the Central North Sea.
TSEUK managing director Bill Dunnett said: “The Montrose Area Redevelopment is not only one of the biggest capital projects in the UK North Sea this year, but also a tangible demonstration of the long term commitment of our shareholders and partners to the UKCS. It adds a completely new facility to our core infrastructure and can be a game-changer for this business, adding significant production and maximising economic recovery from these historic assets for years to come.”
The energy firm sanctioned the Montrose Area Redevelopment (MAR) to boost the site’s infrastructure, including the development of three new fields – Godwin, Cayley, and Shaw. The new BLP will be connected to the Montrose Alpha platform to provide additional process and plant support facilities.
The project is expected to extend the life of the Montrose Area fields by at least 13 years, to beyond 2030, and unlock an additional 100 million boe of reserves.
TSEUK’s launch day is the third major North Sea milestone in the space of a week.
BP’s Clair Ridge drilling platform modules began their historic journey to the west of Shetland.
The final modules for the £4.5billion investment left the HHI yard in Ulsan, South Korea, marking the end of the project’s fabrication stage there. Read more here.
Elsewhere, Maersk Oil celebrated its first steel cut on its landmark North Sea Culzean development.
The cut in Singapore officially kick-starts the fabrication of the $4.5billion mega-project.
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