The North Sea operator Serica Energy has halted production from Bruce, Keith and Rhum (BKR) fields, after an inspection unveiled issues aboard the Bruce offshore platform.
"During a Bruce platform inspection, the condition of an unused seawater return caisson on the platform was observed to have deteriorated."
"This caisson had been taken out of service in 2009. Production through the Bruce facility was halted while the problem was fully investigated," Serica said on Thursday.
According to Serica, a subsequent underwater inspection determined that the unused caisson had parted below the waterline.
"Both the upper and lower sections of the caisson are intact. Engineering work to ensure that the caisson is properly secured has commenced. Preliminary estimates are that this work will take approximately two months, following which production will be restored," Serica said.
Serica said: "During this period there will be no production from the Bruce, Keith, and Rhum fields. The financial impact is mitigated by the net cash flow sharing arrangements entered into by Serica with the sellers of interests in the fields in 2018."
Serica's other activities, including its share of production from the Erskine field, are unaffected.
Mitch Flegg, Chief Executive of Serica Energy, commented: "Although this is a frustrating event, our skilled offshore team have reacted very efficiently. The underwater investigation quickly determined the cause of the problem and a solution is being planned to allow the resumption of full production."
Serica acquired interests in the Bruce, Keith, and Rhum (BKR) fields and associated offshore facilities from BP, Total, BHP, and Marubeni in November 2018.