Production Drilling Begins at Mariner Field in UK North Sea

Production drilling has started on the Mariner field in the UK North Sea, Statoil announced Friday.

Up to five wells will be drilled before the Mariner A platform hook up and commissioning activity starts next summer, with first oil expected to be produced from Mariner in 2018. 

“This is an exciting period for us as a UKCS operator as we transition from the planning phase to active offshore operations,” Hedda Felin, managing director - Statoil Production UK, said.

“Predrilling enables production to reach plateau levels more quickly after the start of operations on Mariner A. It will also be an important learning period for us in terms of understanding the reservoir and identifying potential efficiencies for future wells, with safety and the protection of the environment being our fundamental priorities,” Felin added.

The Noble Lloyd Noble (500’ ILC) is currently positioned over the Mariner jacket, which was installed in 2015. The first production wells will be drilled through a well deck on the jacket before the platform topside modules arrive mid-2017. In total up to 100 reservoir targets could be drilled over the lifetime of the Mariner field, based on the current development strategy, Statoil said.

The rig contract was awarded to Noble Drilling in 2013, followed by the contract award for integrated drilling and completion services to Schlumberger in 2014. The pre-drilling campaign will support around 500 jobs in the UKCS. 

Statoil (U.K.) Limited is the operator of Mariner with 65.11 percent equity. Co-venturers are J.X. Nippon Exploration & Production (UK) Limited (20 percent), Siccar Point Energy (8.89 percent) and Dyas Mariner Limited (6 percent). 



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