ULTRAMAR PROJECT TO TAP GAS IN NORTH SEA

Ultramar Exploration Ltd.'s Markham field on the boundary between British and Dutch sectors in the North Sea will make history next October when it becomes the first field to export gas from British waters to continental Europe. British and Dutch authorities are negotiating a treaty that will govern the 700 bcf field in U.K. Blocks 49/5a and 49/10b and Dutch Blocks J3b and J6. Reserves from the Dutch part of the field have been sold to the Dutch gas company, Gasunie, while reserves on the

Dec. 30, 1991

3 min read

British and Dutch authorities are negotiating a treaty that will govern the 700 bcf field in U.K. Blocks 49/5a and 49/10b and Dutch Blocks J3b and J6.

Reserves from the Dutch part of the field have been sold to the Dutch gas company, Gasunie, while reserves on the British side have been acquired by Gasunie and Germany's Wintershall.

Deliveries to Gasunie will build to 37.3 bcf/year. Because of pipeline capacity constraints, deliveries to Wintershall won't start until July 1993 and will average 15 bcf/year.

Gas will move through a 24 in. pipeline to Wintershall Noordzee's K13a platform, then through a existing 36 in. line to Den Helder on the Dutch mainland.

PHASED DEVELOPMENT

In the first phase of development, Ultramar is installing a central process platform on Block J6. The unit has eight well slots and will accommodate at least four wells.

The Rowan Halifax jack up is drilling development wells prior to topsides installation next year.

In the second development phase, a normally unmanned, five well satellite platform will be installed in 1994 in the U.K. sector, 3.4 miles northwest of the J6 platform. The final stage of the project will be installation of compression on the J6 platform in 1997-98.

Ultramar will employ the U.K.'s stringent offshore safety regime throughout Markham installations. That makes its first stage development the first platform in Dutch water to be covered by British safety rules.

Part of the process involved a quantified risk assessment, which revealed that the 24 in. export pipeline riser connecting the central process platform to K13a could be at risk from a high concentration of shipping in the area. As a result, a subsurface isolation valve will be installed on the export line about 500 ft from the Markham platform.

Partners in the Dutch blocks are Ultramar Exploration (Netherlands) BV, Elf Petroland BV, Ranger Oil (U.K.) Ltd., Holland Sea Search 11 BV, and Total Marine Exploitatie Mij. BV

In U.K. Block 49/5a partners are Ultramar Exploration Ltd., D.N.O. Offshore Ltd., and Ranger Oil (U.K.) Ltd., while in 49/lob shareholders are Total Marine plc, Monument Exploration & Production Ltd., Euroil Exploration Ltd., and Pentex Oil Ltd.