IOG Restores Blythe Field Output after Mechanical Fault on Platform Fixed. Southwark Drilling Start Imminent

UK North Sea-focused oil and gas company IOG said Wednesday it had temporarily remedied an issue with its Blythe platform topsides in the Southern North Sea.

The company had started gas production from the Blythe field mid-March, however it on March 29 said a chemical injection fault had called for the Blythe well to be temporarily shut-in. Further inspection showed that the fault was a mechanical issue on the Blythe topsides, not related to the Blythe reservoir.  

In a statement on Wednesday, IOG said:"Earlier this month, the company advised that it was pursuing a rapid solution to a mechanical fault on the Blythe topsides, in collaboration with its offshore Duty Holder ODE Asset Management (ODEAM). IOG can now confirm that the issue has been temporarily addressed and the Blythe well, therefore, re-opened yesterday, alongside ongoing Elgood production. A further permanent modification on the Blythe platform has been designed and will be installed when materials are available.This permanent modification is not anticipated to involve material downtime," the company said.

Blythe, initially brought on stream on March 13, and Elgood, producing gas since March 15, form part of Phase 1 of IOG's Saturn Banks Project, along with the Southwark field, which is set to start producing later this year.

IOG also provided an update on the progress with Southwark, which has faced delays, most recently due to the issues with the seabed at the Southwark drilling location.

"At Southwark, over last weekend the Noble Hans Deul rig was successfully moved into position alongside the platform, with the legs positioned securely on the newly installed rock pads. Preparations have been underway since then to resume development drilling at Southwark in the course of the next week," IOG said.

Andrew Hockey, CEO of IOG, said:"We are pleased to have resolved the Blythe platform issue and restored the Blythe well into production alongside Elgood. We expect to gradually build up the aggregate production levels over the coming days and will continue with our initial production data analysis to inform future guidance. Meanwhile, resuming Southwark drilling in the coming days will be another positive step forward."