Footage has been released of the FPSO for the Shell Pierce field arriving in Norway for refurb to allow for a gas expansion project at the UK field.
Energy services firm Aibel has released video of the Haewene Brim floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel making its way into port at Haugesund on December 12.
Energy Voice reported last month that the Haewene Brim was departing the Shell Pierce field, 165miles east of Aberdeen, to undergo refurbishment ahead of being redeployed at the Shell Pierce field in the UK around March.
Shell has been briefing that the project is expected to complete in the second quarter of 2022, and it is understood that this is when first gas is expected.
© Supplied by AibelPierce is currently oil-producing, with associated gas being compressed and reinjected. The new project will allow for associated gas to be exported via a new pipeline to the St Fergus terminal in Aberdeenshire.
The field, which was first brought online in 1999, lies 165miles east of Aberdeen and is owned 92.52% by Shell, with the remaining 7.48% held by Ithaca Energy.
The partners took a final investment decision (FID) on the project in 2019.
Shell did not disclose at the time any details of expected gas volumes or the cost of the project, but is on record as saying breakeven costs are $20 per barrel, which makes Pierce an attractive development in the current oil price environment.
Latest available figures from the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) show the FPSO was producing around 20,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day in September.
When it took FID in 2019, Shell said the new project would increase production to 30,000 barrels per day.