VIDEO: Mariner B floating storage unit reaches Scotland

Norwegian energy company Statoil is making progress with its UK North Sea Mariner field development, located on the East Shetland Platform of the UK North Sea, approximately 150 kilometers east of Shetland.

The company has informed that the Mariner B Floating Storage Unit reached Scotland during the weekend and bertherd at Global Energy Group’s Nigg Energy Park, north of Inverness.

The ship had departed on June 20 from the Samsung construction yard in South Korea, and traveled traveled 15,800 nautical miles to reach its current location.

At Global Energy Group’s facilities at Nigg, the vessel will take on board a fiscal metering package, fabricated locally, before continuing out to the field, where it will be anchored, hooked up to risers and carry out other tie-in and pre-commissioning activities.

Johan A. Johansen, Statoil’s vice president for operations in the UK and Ireland, said: “Following last year’s successful installation of the steel jacket for the Mariner A platform, we are now getting another key component in place on the field. This year will also see the start of pre-drilling of production wells. We are very much looking forward to increasing our operational activity on the UK Continental Shelf.”

Mariner B will be receiving, storing and offloading the oil produced at the field, however, it will also play a role in the production process as storage for diluent, which will be mixed with the heavy Mariner oil during the production process to enhance processing and increase the value of the crude. Total storage capacity is around 850,000 barrels, of which around 150,000 barrels is reserved for diluent.

The field development concept includes a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform based on a steel jacket – Mariner A – connected to a floating storage unit (FSU), Mariner B.

The topsides for the Mariner A platform are expected to arrive next year. Following hook-up and commissioning, start-up is planned for 2018.

The development of the Mariner field will contribute more than 250 million barrels of reserves with average plateau production of around 55,000 barrels per day.
Production is expected to commence in 2018.