Wintershall Dea targets 30 pct reduction in CO2 emissions with new supply vessel

Oil and gas company Wintershall Dea says it will reduce annual emissions on supply vessel services to the Brage platform in Norway by up to 30 per cent when the Eidesvik-owned Viking Princess vessel goes on contract later this year.

To remind, Wintershall Dea last week awarded a time charter contract to the Eidesvik Offshore-owned platform supply vessel (PSV) Viking Princess.

The firm contract period is 12 months, plus options for extensions, and it is scheduled to start in December 2020.

Wintershall Dea said on Thursday that the new contract with Eidesvik Offshore for supply vessel services to the Brage platform supports its effort to reduce emissions from its activities on the Norwegian Continental shelf.

“We are very satisfied with having secured the Viking Princess as our supply vessel for Brage. The state-of-the-art vessel will enable us to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 2400 tonnes a year, the equivalent of running 1200 cars”, said Alv Solheim, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Norge.

The 90 metres long and 24 metres wide Viking Princess has a dual fuel capacity (MGO and LNG) and a battery package for effective energy management.

In addition to serving Brage, the Viking Princess will provide services to the nearby Veslefrikk, and Statfjord A, B, and C platforms through a collaboration agreement with Equinor.

According to Wintershall Dea, since starting in May this year, the agreement has already substantially increased the efficiency of the logistics in the area.

“We are always looking for ways to make our operations more efficient both in terms of cost and environmental footprint. Contracting the Viking Princess is yet another step in the right direction”, said Børge Nerland, Wintershall Dea Vice President for Production.

The Wintershall Dea-operated Brage field is located in the northern North Sea, 125 kilometres west of Bergen. It is one of the oldest producing platforms in Norway.

First discovered in 1980, the field came into production in 1993 and has been in operation for more than 25 years.

Brage is a fully integrated platform with living quarters, auxiliary equipment module, process modules, drilling modules, well and manifold areas.