UK-based subsea inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) firm Harkand has been awarded a multi-million pound contract with Maersk Oil to deliver subsea support services.
The contract includes a commissioning support campaign for the Flyndre development in the south-eastern part of the Central Graben Basin in the North Sea.
The firm's Aberdeen office will oversee the mobilization of its sister dive support vessels the Harkand Atlantis and Harkand Da Vinci. The Flyndre campaign will see personnel carrying out choke valve replacement work as well as delivering umbilical tie-in operations.
David Kerr, managing director for Harkand Europe said: “We have a well-established relationship with Maersk Oil having delivered successful diving scopes for the company last year including decommissioning work at the Leadon field and also completing their subsea inspection campaign in 2013."
In May 2014, Maersk Oil UK was given approval from the UK and Norwegian authorities to develop the Flyndre and Cawdor fields.
The fields lie about 293 km south east of Aberdeen in UK North Sea Blocks 30/13 and 30/14 (Flyndre and Cawdor) and Norwegian North Sea Block 1/5 (Flyndre only).
The Flyndre field was discovered in 1974, and straddles the UK/Norway median line. Cawdor was discovered in 2008. The fields will be co-developed as a subsea tie-back to the Talisman Sinopec Energy UK-operated Clyde platform (pictured).
Flyndre will be developed with a single production well. Cawdor will initially be developed with a single production well, but will have the potential for a two further wells, based on field performance. Maersk Oil UK is operator and holds 59.966% interest in Flyndre and 60.6% interest in Cawdor.
Flyndre is expected to peak at around 10,000 bbl/d with first oil expected in 2016. Cawdor is expected to peak at around 5000 bbl/d with production starting in 2017. Total recoverable resources are expected to be about 30 MMboe for the initial development phase, with further upside depending on performance and further development phases. Maersk Oil UK’s investment in the field developments is expected to be approximately £300 million.