Hurricane kicks off well completions operations on Lancaster

UK-based Hurricane Energy has started well completion operations for the Early Production System on the Lancaster field (Lancaster EPS), located in the West of Shetland area, in the UK.

Well re-entry and completion operations for the Lancaster EPS have now started under the control of Petrofac Facilities Management Limited, who is the well operator, and the operations will use Transocean’s Paul B. Loyd Jr. harsh environment semi-submersible rig, Hurricane informed in an update on Friday.

To remind, Hurricane entered into a contract with Transocean for the Paul B. Loyd Jr drilling rig in September 2017 to complete the previously drilled Lancaster production wells.

Following the rig’s previous assignment and mobilization to the Lancaster field, it underwent a required period of blowout preventer maintenance prior to starting of well completion operations.

The Lancaster EPS will use two currently suspended horizontal wells; 205/21a-6 and 205/21a-7Z, which were previously drilled and tested in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

The 205/21a-6 well tested at 9,800 stb/d and the 205/21a-7Z well tested at 15,375 stb/d. These rates were achieved using electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) and were constrained by the capacity of surface test equipment. During these operations, the wells will be completed with dual pod ESPs.

Dr Robert Trice, Hurricane Energy Chief Executive, commented: “It’s pleasing to see further progress being made on another element of the Lancaster EPS. We look forward to continuing to build on our strong relationship with Petrofac and Transocean, with whom we completed our highly successful 2016-2017 drilling campaign.”

Back in May Hurricane started the offshore installation phase of the Lancaster EPS development. Additional logistical work at the field also started in May ahead of the installation of the turret mooring system for the Aoka Mizu FPSO.

The newly-fabricated buoy, which forms a critical element of the turret mooring system for the Aoka Mizu FPSO, departed from Drydocks World in Dubai in mid-May, following successful testing, and final inspection.