New Montrose platform topsides leaves yard

Topsides of a bridge-linked platform to accommodate Montrose area redevelopment in the Central North Sea has departed the Heerema Fabrication Group’s Zwinjdrecht yard south of Rotterdam.

The unit was to make a stop at Schiedam for installation and commissioning of an 80-tonne pedestal crane and attachment of upper sections of exhaust stacks. It will travel to UK North Sea Block 22/17 at the end of April.

Sanctioned in October 2012 with support of brownfield incentives from the UK government, the project will extend field lives in the Montrose area to beyond 2030 and develop about 100 million boe of oil and gas reserves, according to the operator, Talisman Sinopec Energy UK Ltd.

Incremental production is expected to peak at 36,000 boe/d, according to OGN Group, which built and installed the 5,745-tonne steel jacket for the new platform.

In addition to Montrose, the area encompasses Arbroath, Brechin, Arkwright, Carnoustie, and Wood fields. The project also includes initial development of Cayley, Shaw, and Godwin fields.

The bridge-linked platform will be connected to the Montrose Alpha platform, which has been in place since 1975, to provide additional process and plant-support facilities. Water depth in the area is about 300 ft.

The new 10,500-tonne topsides is 75 m long, 44 m wide, and 40 m high.

Talisman Sinopec is a joint venture of Talisman Energy Inc., part of Repsol SA, and Addax Petroleum UK Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec). The JV holds a 58.97% working interest. Marubeni Oil & Gas (UK) Ltd. holds the rest.