$440m North Sea contract for Aker

Aker Solutions has won a contract worth up to US440 million to deliver the subsea production system for an oil field development in the UK North Sea.

The delivery includes 25 subsea trees and six template manifolds as well as associated controls, wellheads and tie-in equipment for the field.

Aker says the order includes subsea technologies that are new to the UK market, including manifolds and trees that can enable the use of hydraulically submersible pumps to improve oil recovery and flow assurance.

Aker Solutions will also provide diverless horizontal tie-in systems and slim line rigid lockdown wellheads for the development.

Aker Solutions' main office at Fornebu in Norway will handle central management, engineering and procurement for the project.

The company's Tranby facility outside of Oslo will manufacture the subsea trees, while production of the manifolds and system integration testing will be carried out at the company's offshore yard in Egersund on the west coast of Norway.

Aker Solutions' subsea operations in Aberdeen will manufacture the control systems and wellheads. It will also provide lifecycle-support services.

The first deliveries are scheduled for the first half of 2014. Aker Solutions did not disclose the name of the field or  operator.

"This is the single-largest subsea contract that we've won in the UK," said Alan Brunnen, head of Aker Solutions' subsea business.