Hurricane: Drydocks on schedule with Aoka Mizu FPSO upgrades

Upgrade works on the Aoka Mizu FPSO, which will operate on the Hurricane-operated Lancaster field off the UK, are progressing as planned and the project remains on schedule for first oil in the first half of 2019. 

Hurricane Energy on Tuesday provided operations update on activities related to the Early Production System on the Lancaster Field (Lancaster EPS), at Drydocks World, Dubai, ahead of an analyst visit this week.

The Aoka Mizu FPSO, the facility for the Lancaster EPS, arrived in Dubai on September 30, 2017. Its repair, upgrade and life extension works are being carried out at the Drydocks World yard in Dubai. Fabrication of the buoy, to which the vessel’s turret mooring system will connect, is taking place at the same yard.

Hurricane said that internal turret was removed from Aoka Mizu for upgrade. First planned dry-docking was completed on schedule, during which a number of works were undertaken, including: removal of a thruster for overhaul, outer hull surveys, replacement of a number of sea valves, and installation of new bilge keels.

In addition, initial tank inspections and cleaning has taken place and buoy structure is taking shape, with major sections including the top cone preassembled and shell plating being attached to the cone module.

The company added that buoy locking ring has arrived from fabricator and is being installed. All critical components for the mooring are now undergoing fabrication and the first of the 12 chains has been completed.

Dr Robert Trice, Chief Executive of Hurricane, commented: “We are pleased to provide an update on operations in Dubai, which are critical components of the Lancaster EPS. Operations remain on schedule for planned first oil in H1 2019 and I look forward to showing analysts this progress.”

The Lancaster license, located West of Shetland in about 150 meters of water, has combined 2P Reserves and 2C Resources of 523 million barrels. Hurricane made the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the development of the Lancaster EPS in mid-September.

On Monday, Hurricane Energy’s share price rose more than ten percent after a competent person’s report boosted its oil reserves estimate by 231 percent.