Oilfield services firm Petrofac has secured an "enhanced" five-year contract with INEOS FPS, the operator of the key UK North Sea pipeline system - the Forties.
Under the terms of the agreement, Petrofac will continue to supply personnel to the Unity Platform in the Central North Sea, the onshore Cruden Bay Terminal, and other landline sites. The contract has also been reconfigured to include engineering and construction support, Petrofac said.
INEOS FPS operates the Unity Platform which is located in Block 21/9 of the North Sea in 122 meters of water. The platform is a ‘Not Permanently Attended Installation’ (NPAI) and is operated remotely from the on-shore control center at the Kinneil Terminal in Grangemouth. Maintenance teams visit the platform regularly by helicopter and more intensive maintenance programs are conducted periodically using a ‘Walk to Work’ (WTW) vessel.
Unity is a gathering hub with pig reception facilities. It receives crude oil and gas via six incoming pipelines connected to other offshore installations operated by other companies.
"This award strengthens Petrofac’s existing relationship with INEOS FPS in the UKCS, where it already provides a Maintenance Consultancy service," Petrofac added.
Offshore personnel will continue to be deployed via Petrofac’s 24/7 Delivery Hub, through which all of its Operations and Maintenance contracts are managed.
Nick Shorten, Managing Director for Petrofac Engineering and Production Services, West, said: “Over the past year we have been supporting INEOS FPS as they work to transform the Forties Pipeline System, and during this time our teams have developed a great understanding of both our client’s onshore and offshore sites.
“The enhancement of this contract demonstrates our client’s continued confidence in our ability to maintain safe operations while delivering improvements to production efficiency. We very much look forward to continue working with INEOS to unlock further value.”