Shell all-set to use well intervention vessel at two North Sea fields

Norske Shell, a subsidiary of the UK-headquartered energy giant Shell, has received consent from the Norwegian offshore safety regulator to use one of Island Offshore’s mobile offshore units (MOU) for work on two fields offshore Norway.

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) disclosed on Monday, 27 March 2023, that it had given Norske Shell consent to use the Island Constructor vessel for well intervention on the Knarr and Gaupe fields.

The 2008-built Island Constructor multi-purpose offshore vessel is of Ulstein SX 121 design. It can accommodate 90 people. The vessel received an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in April 2010.

Located in the northern part of the North Sea, 50 kilometres northeast of the Snorre field, the Knarr field lies in a water depth of 400 metres. The field was discovered in 2008, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2011. The development comprises a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) and two subsea templates, including six wells for production and injection.

The Knarr field consists of two segments – Knarr West and Knarr Central – with one template on each structure. The production on the field started in 2015 and ceased in 2022. According to the formal removal resolution, decommissioning must be completed six years after the ceasing of production.

On the other hand, the Gaupe field is located in the central part of the North Sea close to the border to the UK sector, about 35 kilometres south of the Sleipner Øst field. The water depth is 90 metres. The field was discovered in 1985, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2010.

The development concept entailed two single horizontal subsea wells tied to the Armada installation on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). Production started in 2012 and ceased in 2018. According to the formal removal resolution, decommissioning must be completed by the end of 2026.