Statoil has revealed that about 1500 offshore jobs will be supported by its Mariner heavy oil development hook-up and commissioning campaign, starting this summer and running through to first production in 2H 2018.

Mariner is one of the largest projects currently under development on the UK Continental Shelf.

Mariner is on the East Shetland Platform of the UK North Sea, about 150km east of the Shetland Isles. The heavy oil field has an estimated 250 MMbo with an average plateau production expected at about 55,000 b/d.

The installation of the Mariner topside will take place in early July, when modules weighing a total of 38,000-tonne will be lifted on to the base of the platform which was installed in 2015.

Up to 800 people could be offshore in the Mariner field at peak levels of activity, says Statoil.

The roles involved are predominantly offshore construction and commissioning personnel covering a variety of disciplines including engineering, electrical, rigging, pipefitting and commissioning. The majority of the recruitment is now complete.

In the long term, once in production, 700 permanent jobs will be supported by Mariner onshore and offshore.

Contracts worth over £1billion have been awarded to date to the UK supply chain by the project.

Statoil is operator of Mariner with 65.11% interest. Co-venturers are J.X. Nippon Exploration & Production (20 %), Siccar Point Energy (8.89%) and Dyas Mariner (6%).

Source: www.oedigital.com/