PSA Norway has granted consent to Norske Shell for removal the dedicated standby vessel on the Draugen field. The Draugen field is located in the Norwegian Sea at a water depth of 250 metres. The field was discovered in 1984 and recovery started in October 1993.
An updated impact assessment was carried out in 2010 regarding removal of the dedicated standby vessel. This showed that it was possible to remove the vessel and still satisfy the performance requirements for emergency preparedness.
This presumes that a few upgrades are performed and that parts of the activities on the Draugen field are adapted to the situation without a standby vessel.
The most important upgrade is that Draugen will be outfitted with a new MOB boat with a redundant engine, among other things.
[mappress] Offshore Energy Today Staff, February 29, 2012