Dana Petroleum's long delayed Western Isles cylindical floating production unit (FPSO) is finally set to start its journey to Europe in coming days, says designer Sevan Marine.
The unit is being built at COSCO's yard in China and will be installed over Korea-owned Dana Petroleum's Harris and Barra fields in the northern UK North Sea, 160km east of Shetland in 165m water depth.
First oil is expected by the end of the year, says Sevan. The two fields contain an estimated 45 MMboe recoverable. Plateau production is expected to be around 40,000 boe/d, with a field life of 15 years.
The development comprises five production wells and four water injection wells, via two eight-slot subsea production manifolds and associated flowlines. Up to three additional exploration wells are also planned.
The Western Isles development was approved by the authorities in 2012, with first oil then planned for 2015.
Meanwhile, Sevan says that there is positive interest and prospects for its services going into 2017, particularly from oil majors for FLNG, Barents Sea and North Sea opportunities.
"The recent improvements in the oil price and market sentiment has led to increased market interest for Sevan Marine’s services and the cylindrical design," says the firm. "This has particularly been the case for harsh environment projects such as those in the Barents Sea and Australia for both FPSO and FLNG applications. Sevan Marine is optimistic that additional study work can be won in 2017 and early 2018 in this regard."
The firm recently completed an early phase study for the Wisting field development in the Barents Sea. It is also continuing work on a study for a US-based oil major to explore use of Sevan Marine’s cylindrical hull design for an FLNG development.
A Sevan cylindrical design has also been linked to Shell's Penguins redevelopment in the UK North Sea. Sevan is also working on a number of other concepts including use of its cylindrical design for fish farming, as a power hub for wind or subsea operations,
The company is also designing a drilling unit for mid-water harsh environment and continues to develop its HiLoad LNG offloading concept.
Sevan is also continuing development work on an ultra-deepwater application using steel catenary risers (SCRs). Sevan Marine hopes to obtain approval to use its unique cylindrical design with steel catenary risers as a non-disconnectable FPSO with the ability to retain cargo during a hurricane. This would be a first in the US Gulf of Mexico, and Sevan Marine believes it will provide a substantially cheaper solution compared to the disconnectable, turret based solutions used today.
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