By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Aug. 10 -- German company Veba Oil Nederland BV has brought on stream the Hanze oil field in the North Sea off the Netherlands.
The initial rate is 11,000 b/d, but peak production of 30,000 b/d is expected by yearend. The peak is expected to account for two-thirds of overall oil production in the Dutch North Sea.
The development includes a production storage platform, dedicated oil offloading systems, and gas export pipelines. The oil is offloaded via a single-anchor loading system and shuttle tanker.
The dedicated shuttle tanker Betty Knutsen will offload the first crude in mid-August.
The associated gas is used to power the platform. Any excess is exported via the A6-F3 pipeline and the NOGAT pipeline to Den Helder on the Dutch coast.
"The Hanze field in block F2a, the first ever developed chalk oil reservoir in the Netherlands, was discovered in 1996 and appraised in 1997," the company said in a release.
Veba holds 45% interest in the field, with partners Oranje-Nassau Energie BV and Dyas Nederland BV each holding 20% and EDC (Europe) Ltd., a unit of Noble Affiliates Inc., Ardmore, Okla., 15%.
