Statoil’s largest steel jacket in its history is on its two-week, 1835 nm journey to the North Sea after setting sail from the Spanish Dragados yard on 10 August.
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Mariner steel jacket sails away. Image from Statoil. |
The 22,400-tonne jacket standing 134m high and with a footprint of 88 x 62m, was loaded out from Dragados in Cadiz onto the S44 barge in late July. Yesterday (10 August), the Skandi Iceman main tug was connected to the barge, and the jacket entered the channel of Bahia Cadiz in the afternoon, headed for the Mariner A platform located on the UK Continental Shelf.
Upon arrival to the Mariner field, the S44 barge will launch the jacket ballasted to a certain angle that will enable the 22,400-tonne structure to slide horizontally into the sea. The structure will then be upended and maneuvered into the right position by the heavy-lift vessel Saipem 7000. The jacket will ultimately be secured by 24 piles to ensure that it is safely fixed for many decades to come, Statoil said.
The large platform substructure was completed in May 2015, after a construction phase of more than one and half years. The project was on time and within budget.
Topsides installation is planned to take place in 2016.
Mariner field
The US$7 billion Mariner heavy oil field is located on the East Shetland Platform of the UK North Sea, approximately 150km east of the Shetland Isles in Block 9/11.
The field consists of two shallow reservoir sections: the deeper, Maureen formation at 1492m with an API of 14.2, and the shallower Heimdal reservoir at 1227m with an API of 12.1.
Mariner’s concept includes a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform based on a steel jacket, with a floating storage unit (FSU). Drilling will be carried out from the PDQ drilling rig, with a jackup rig assisting in the initial years.
The development of the Mariner field is expected contribute more than 250 MMbbl reserves with average plateau production of around 55,000 b/d.
According to Statoil, the field will provide a long-term cash-flow over a 30-year field life.
Production is expected to commence in 2017.
Statoil is the operator of Mariner with 65.11% interest. Partners include JX Nippon E&P (28.89%) and Dyas UK Ltd. (6%).
In June, Statoil awarded more than $1.57 billion worth of contracts to companies established in Aberdeen, for the operational phase of the project.
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