North Sea FPSO production restart on the cards next month following storm-induced damage

UK-based upstream oil and gas player Serica Energy has confirmed the new timeline for the resumption of production at its assets in the North Sea, which are tied back to an existing floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, operated by Dana Petroleum, on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).

The hydrocarbon production from the FPSO Triton was suspended in the wake of issues resulting from Storm Éowyn, when sea spray triggered the fire and gas detection system, causing an automatic production shutdown during the storm on January 24, 2025. In the aftermath of the initial restart four days later, it was established that the storm had caused minor damage to one of the cargo tanks, which required repair.

“While preparing to conduct the necessary repairs, Dana Petroleum (‘Dana’) identified an integrity issue with a coupling in the inert gas line required for purging the tanks prior to carrying out the repairs. Triton has remained offline subsequently pending identification of the root cause of the issue and the best means of resolving it,” underlined Serica.

Dana Petroleum and Waldorf Production UK act as Serica’s partners in the Triton cluster, after the firm acquired the entire issued share capital of Tailwind Energy Investments in a deal worth approximately £367 million. Located around 190 kilometers east of Aberdeen in water depths of 90 meters, the Triton area encapsulates eight producing oil fields.

These are Evelyn, Bittern, Guillemot West and Guillemot Northwest, Gannet E, Clapham, Pict, and Saxon, which were developed via the FPSO Triton in the UK Central North Sea. Serica claims to be supporting Dana in the FPSO repairs, including the secondment of its representative to the operator’s team dealing with this issue.

“We currently expect that these safety critical repairs will result in the recommencement of production in mid-to-late March. The extent of annual maintenance work in the summer, currently scheduled for 40 days, is also under review. Work continues in parallel on the second gas compressor which, as previously notified, is on track to be available by the end of Q1,” underlined the UK-based firm.

Furthermore, the Triton JV recently received the final draft of a comprehensive third-party engineering study, commissioned by the JV to consolidate prior work, to assess the scope and costs associated with extending the life of the FPSO Triton to a range of cessation of production dates up to 2040. Based on the report, the FPSO has the potential to continue producing well into the next decade, subject to the continuation of the program of maintenance and upgrades.

Chris Cox, Serica’s CEO, stated:“Given that the Triton FPSO was recovering strongly from the operational issues of 2024, with material production from new wells, the impact of Storm Éowyn is deeply frustrating. Safety is of course always the number one priority, and we fully support the operator’s actions in ensuring that this supersedes other considerations.

“Recent drilling results illustrate the significant value of proven hydrocarbons in the Triton area. We will continue working with the operator and discussing with them at the highest level all options to secure a lasting improvement in the operating performance of the FPSO.”

The five-well Triton drilling campaign, which started in April 2024, will end with the BE01 well on the Belinda field. The drilling of the BE01 well is scheduled to begin in April, and the well is forecast to enter production in early Q1 2026, following the installation of subsea infrastructure.

Serica’s production for January 2025 averaged 37 kboepd, with February averaging 27 kboepd to date, thanks to strong production from the Bruce Hub into a robust gas market, with February NBP prices averaging 134p/therm, as well as solid contributions from other assets.

The UK player’s 2025 production guidance is under review and anticipated to be restated or revised pending further clarity on the timeline and the implications for the ongoing Triton activities.