Fabrication of two production platform topsides for the Caister and Murdoch gas field development projects in the U.K. North Sea is complete.
AMEC plc, London, built the decks for Caister in Block 44/23a and Murdoch in Block 44/22a on behalf of operators Total Oil Marine plc and Conoco (U.K.) Ltd., respectively. Construction took place at the Hadrian yard, Wallsend, U.K.
Load-out of the structures onto barges was scheduled last week, with tow-out set for Apr. 6.
The platforms, which will supply gas to Theddlethorpe terminal in Lincolnshire, U.K., are the first installations in Quadrant 44 of the North Sea's southern gas basin (OGJ, Aug. 17, 1992, p. 52).
Caister platform involves a 1,150 metric ton deck on a 1,150 metric ton jacket. It will be installed in April in 200 ft of water to carry 10 well production/test manifolds, a test separator, wet gas metering, and utilities.
Murdoch platform entails a 1,350 metric ton deck on a 1,200 metric ton jacket. It will be installed in April in 170 ft of water to carry nine well production/test manifolds, test separator, wet gas metering, pig launcher, and utilities.
Both jackets were built at the Vlissengen, Netherlands, yard of Heerema Offshore Construction Group Inc., Geneva. They are to leave the yard Apr. 6.
PLATFORM OPERATIONS
The Caister and Murdoch platforms will not normally be manned. When they go on stream in the fourth quarter, they will be operated remotely from Theddlethorpe.
Day to day operation of Caister will be handled by Conoco. Conoco will then run daily operations for 17 platforms in the southern gas basin, including Audrey in Block 48/15 for Phillips Petroleum Co. U.K. Ltd. and Anglia in Block 48/18b for Ranger Oil (U.K.) Ltd.
Offshore installations managers are based at Theddlethorpe.
The Caister/Murdoch development is central to Conoco's long term plans for Quadrant 44, said Mike Stinson, Conoco (U.K.) chairman and managing director.
"We are happy with our investment if the project remains at two fields," said Stinson, "but we would need to bring on further satellite fields for it to be truly meaningful."
Conoco has a "solid looking" discovery west of Murdoch in Block 44/21a, Stinson said, while the company is discussing satellite development of the Block 44/28b Ketch and Block 44/26 Schooner fields with operator Shell U.K. Exploration & Production.
Tie-in of satellites would require compression in Murdoch field. Conoco is studying a second phase of development to go on stream 1998. This would involve either a single compression/accommodation platform or two structures.
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