‘Safe Boreas’ Connects to Montrose for Talisman Sinopec
Prosafe’s semi-submersible accommodation rig Safe Boreas is now operating in the UK North Sea on the Talisman Sinopec-operated Montrose Area Redevelopment (MAR) project.
Talisman Sinopec Energy UK is the operator with a working interest of 58.97%, and Marubeni Oil & Gas (U.K.) is the sole partner.
Prosafe and Talisman Simopec recently agreed for Prosafe to provide one of its semi-sub accommodation rigs for the entire firm period of over eight months plus options with total value of the firm hire duration of $60 million.
Although initially agreed that Prosafe would provide its newbuild flotel Safe Notos involving an initial short period using its sister rig the Safe Zephyrus, neither of the two newbuild flotels have arrived yet to the North Sea, allowing the Safe Boreas to take their place.
Prosafe’s 2015-built Safe Boreas, named after the Greek god of the north wind and the bringer of cold winter air, will support the complex next four phases of the MAR project: Montrose shutdown; bridge linked platform topsides installation; hook up; and dynamic commissioning and start-up. It is expected to be in the field until 4Q 2016.
According to Talisman Sinopec, the Montrose Area Redevelopment (MAR) is a project that sees the significant modification and expansion of the existing Montrose Area infrastructure including the development of three new fields: Godwin, Cayley and Shaw. A new bridge-linked platform (BLP) will be connected to the Montrose Alpha platform – one of the oldest in the North Sea – to provide additional process and plant support facilities.
The Godwin Field has already been developed via an extended reach well from the Arbroath platform. The Cayley and Shaw fields are being developed as subsea tie-backs to the BLP. As well as developing the new fields the MAR project is expected to extend the life of the existing Montrose Area fields by at least 13 years, to beyond 2030, Talisman Sinopec said.
Production from Shaw and Cayley is expected to start in 2017, with gross incremental production peaking at up to 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day.
