The North Sea Mariner field was discovered in 1981. Seven operators tried and failed to develop it, before Statoil came on board.
Project director Uno Holm Rognli discusses how the Norwegian operator finally cracked the heavy oil puzzle.
Earlier this week, a vessel carrying the first of the Mariner topside modules has arrived off the coast of Shetland, having completed an 11,300-nautical mile journey from South Korea. The heavy transport vessel “Forte” is carrying the living quarters and utility module.
Eight modules and a flare boom, weighing around 38,000 tonnes in total, are being transported on five heavy transport vessels to the UK North Sea. The modules will be held on the vessels in a sheltered area near Lerwick, in preparation for the start-up of the installation operations. In July, one of the world’s largest heavy lift vessels, the Saipem 7000, will lift the modules on to the steel jacket which was installed in the field in 2015.
The Mariner project was sanctioned in 2012 and first oil is expected in the second half of 2018. Once in operation, the field will produce around 55,000 barrels of oil per day.
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