Equinor contracts Optime Subsea for ROCS deployment at Irpa field

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has contracted a compatriot provider of subsea solutions for the oil & gas industry, Optime Subsea, to deliver two remotely operated systems (ROCS) at the operator’s Irpa field.

Equinor’s latest award follows just three months after the company procured ROCS for deployment at its Rosebank field in the west of Shetland, UK.

Under the contract, Optime Subsea will produce the two ROCS systems at its headquarters in Notodden, Norway, and transport them to Equinor’s offshore base in Sandnessjøen, North Norway, by 2025. The contract’s value has not been disclosed.

Equinor will employ one system for a well completion campaign at Irpa planned for 2026, with the other serving as a backup system.

Irpa, previously known as Asterix, is a gas field situated around 1,350 meters deep in the Norwegian Sea, approximately 340 kilometers offshore from Bodø, North Norway. Irpa is set to be developed as a tie-in to the Aasta Hansteen FPSO.

“We are seeing that ROCS is gradually becoming the new standard for well completion operations due to substantially lower capex, opex, and smaller environmental footprint compared to conventional systems,” said Jan-Fredrik Carlsen, CEO of Optime Subsea. 

Optime Subsea explained that its ROCS eliminates the need for umbilicals and topside hydraulic control units, reducing costs and deck space. It also enhances safety by reducing personnel in the red zone and expedites installation and completion, especially useful for deepwater fields like Irpa.

“We said in January, when we were awarded the ROCS for the Rosebank field, that we hoped that this marked the beginning of an exciting collaboration between Optime Subsea and Equinor. We look forward to proving the many benefits ROCS bring at the Irpa field development, and to cooperating with Equinor on another project,” added Trond Løkka, from Optime Subsea.