Snorre B News

Norwegian offshore vessel operator DOF Group has secured a ‘substantial’ subsea engineering procurement removal and disposal (EPRD) contract from Norske Shell in the Atlantic region.The contract outlines 100 combined days of utilization of DOF’s vessels Skandi Hera and Maersk Installer.DOF will deliver an integrated solution of project management, engineering, design, analysis and survey.Described as ‘substantial’ by DOF, this means that the contract is valued between $23.8 million and $47.8 million (NOK 250 million to NOK 500 million).The scope includes recovery and recycling of umbilicals…

Scientists warn that climate change is the greatest peril that humankind has ever faced. Yet oil and gas exploration is set to clock the highest growth for more than a decade this year and next. Protesters cause disruption but, for the moment, hydrocarbon energy underpins life as we know it“Offshore oil and gas production probably matters now more than ever,” said Audun Martinsen. The Rystad Energy Partner and Head of Energy Research told Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.“It…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has secured a contract with Equinor for the platform supply vessel Normand Searcher.More precisely, Equinor has declared an option to extend the contract for the PSV for one more year to September 2023. The financial details were not disclosed.The oil and gas company has the option to extend the contract with a further four one-year contracts.The platform supplier has been on contract with Equinor since 2017.

The first floating wind turbine for Equinor's 88MW Hywind Tampen floating wind farm in Noway was assembled last week at Wergeland Group's base in Norway, Wergeland shared via social media.Equinor’s Hywind Tampen will be the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm once completed later this year.The turbine assembled at Wergeland's base is the first of eleven to be assembled. The towing of the turbines to the North Sea location is expected to start early in the summer.Hywind Tampen will serve as the power source for five of Equinor's offshore oil and gas platforms in Norway…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Simon Møkster Shipping has recently won a contract with Equinor for service operation vessel (SOV) services for the Hywind Tampen floating wind farm project in Norway.The 88 MW Hywind Tampen, which will be the world's largest floating wind farm once built, will serve as the power source for five of Equinor's offshore oil and gas platforms in Norway, Snorre A, and B, and Gullfaks A, B, and C.As part of the SOV contract with Equinor, Simon Møkster will deploy its 2014-built Stril Server vessel…

World's largest semi-submersible crane vessel Sleipnir on Saturday picked up a module for Equinor's Snorre A platform from the quayside at Aibel's yard in Haugesund, Norway.The 220-meter long and 102-meter wide vessel Sleipnir recently arrived in the North Sea region for the first time since its delivery from Singapore last year.It on Saturday arrived at Aibel's yard in Haugesund to pick up the approx. 600-tonne Riser Hang Off module for the Snorre Expansion Project (SEP), and according to Aibel…

The “new normal” is a phrase tossed around often in offshore energy circles today as those servicing and operating in the sector grapple with the harsh realities of the prolonged industry downturn. Operators, service companies and equipment suppliers have been forced to adjust to oil selling at prices well below the $100+ per barrel mark seen in years past. As of this writing, Brent oil was hovering around $62 per barrel, and analysts expect prices will remain in this range for some time into the future.On top of this…

Spanish-based engineering company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) said that the world’s largest floating wind power plant will be installed in Norway, equipped with 11 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD turbines.Scheduled to be commissioned in late 2022, Hywind Tampen will be the first ever floating wind power plant to power offshore oil and gas platforms.“We are pleased to have received the firm order from Equinor to be the supplier of this ground-breaking project. Thanks to our strong collaboration and joint focus on innovation, we are now at the forefront of developing this exciting technology and unlocking the vast potential for floating offshore wind power…

Equinor is signing collaboration agreements with Aker Solutions and TechnipFMC for subsea equipment and services on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) and internationally.For several decades, the subsea segment has been central in developing Equinor and the NCS. Equinor is operating close to 600 subsea wells, which account for a considerable share of the company’s total production. Norwegian supplier industry is in the forefront of subsea technology, development and operation.“We are building on many years of good cooperation with two world-leading suppliers in the subsea segment. Together with TechnipFMC and Aker Solutions we aim to further develop current solutions and keep up the pressure on continuous improvements that enables future profitable projects…

Equinor has awarded Transocean a contract for drilling six wells on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) by use of the Transocean Norge mobile rig. Drilling start-up is scheduled for the summer of 2019.The rig has also been awarded a contract option for drilling four additional wells and is intended for subsequent continuing options. Transocean has previously signed a framework agreement with Equinor.Transocean Spitsbergen was the company’s first rig to be included as per the framework agreement terms, and Transocean Norge will be the second.The contract value for the six wells is estimated at approximately USD 89 million. The services covered by the contract include drilling services such as slop treatment and cuttings handling…

Norway's Equinor said on Tuesday it is considering whether to build a pioneering offshore wind farm with floating turbines to supply electricity to two North Sea oilfields as part of a strategy to curb greenhouse gas emissions.The project at the Gullfaks and Snorre oilfields would cost around 5 billion Norwegian crowns ($592 million) and could reduce Norway's emissions of carbon dioxide by more than 200,000 tonnes per year, Equinor said."This could be the first time an offshore wind farm is directly connected to oil and gas platforms," state-controlled Equinor said in a statement.

Hundreds of workers on Norwegian offshore oil and gas rigs went on strike on Tuesday after rejecting a proposed wage deal, leading to the shutdown of one Shell-operated field and helping send Brent crude prices higher.One union said hundreds more workers would join the strike on Sunday if an agreement over union demands for a wage increase and pension rights was not reached.Royal Dutch Shell said that due to the strike it was temporarily closing production at its Knarr field, which has a daily output of 23…

Norway's Ocean Installer has secured two subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) contracts with Statoil for work on several fields offshore Norway. The subsea company has secured two contracts, comprising work from 2018 through 2020 on the Snorre, Troll, Njord, Åsgard, Bauge, Fenja and Dvalin fields, said a press statement. The first contract is for Subsea Lines Modification (SLM) work, with offshore activities containing complex riser change-out operations, set to commence in Q2 of 2018. "We continue to build on the excellent working relationship we have with Statoil. Our track record has proven that we are capable of delivering efficient subsea solutions, especially handling complex installations.

Swedbank’s chief economist, Harald Andreassen, isn’t “too hopeful” about the long-term prospects for the oil price, but then again, “I’m less certain of this than I’ve ever been as an economist,” he told a floating production conference in Oslo. After two-and-half years of oil-price collapse followed by layoffs in the thousands; stacked oil rigs and order freezes for offshore shipping, price insecurity itself is a partial expression of confidence. Beneath some palpable yet halting movements toward recovery in 2017…

(Singapore, 22 May 2016) The topside of Ivar Aasen field was  completed on Sunday at the shipyard in Singapore and sailed to Norway shortly. The tire was delivered on budget and on time, which enables field development is on track to start production on December 1. "Ivar Aasen field is an important development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the Norwegian as operator . We are therefore very pleased to finalize the platform deck according to budget and on time. Work performed in Singapore are of high quality, and the project is an example of a successful global supplier collaboration to create value on the Norwegian continental shelf," says Karl Johnny Hersvik, CEO of the Norwegian.

Statoil, on behalf of the Johan Sverdrup licence, has awarded two contracts at a total value of more than NOK 4.35 billion to Odfjell Drilling for drilling wells on the Johan Sverdrup field. Odfjell Drilling has been awarded contracts both for the Deepsea Atlantic semi-submersible rig and for drilling services on the fixed drilling unit to be installed on the Johan Sverdup field. The rig contract includes the charter of the Deepsea Atlantic rig for three years, starting from March 2016. In addition there are six 6-months options. The rig contract has a value of slightly more than NOK 2.5 billion. “This contract is an important milestone for the Johan Sverdrup project.

The installation of the modules that collectively constitute Asgard subsea gas compression has commenced on the Asgard field. Innovative technology at a depth of 300 metres will create 282 million extra barrels from the Asgard field. A total of 22 modules will be installed and connected. These comprise two identical compressor trains weighing 1,500 tonnes each. During the summer this unique technology will be put in place in the large subsea frame that was installed on the field in summer 2013. The installation work is being carried out by the North Sea Giant vessel, which was rebuilt for the purpose. All the modules are provisionally stored at Vestbase in Kristiansund, from where they are shipped following commissioning and testing in Egersund.

The licensees in the Johan Castberg and Snorre 2040 licences have decided to spend more time on the projects. “Castberg and Snorre 2040 are two major and important projects in our portfolio, and it is important that we find sound and robust development solutions for them,” says Ivar Aasheim, Statoil’s senior vice president for field development on the NCS. Statoil and its partners have put in an extensive effort to develop cost-effective solutions for the projects. “We see that our efforts have yielded results, and we are focused on reaping the full benefits of this in a way that ensures a sustainable and profitable utilisation of the resources in the Snorre and Johan Castberg fields. The recent decline in oil prices emphasises this,” Aasheim says.

Production from a subsea template at the Snorre B platform in the North Sea has been shut down following the discovery of an abnormal erosion of mass under the template, says Statoil. Statoil add that over  the last 24 hours, no movement has been observed in the pit at the subsea template. The area is under continuous ROV surveillance and sediment samples have been taken. "Brine" (water with heavier sediments) was pumped into the well for a brief period in the event that there was some sort of connection between the pit and the well. There have been no signs of hydrocarbon leaks in any of the surveys carried out since the pit was discovered on 17 May, 2014. "The pit is stable and is being monitored continuously.

Schlumberger Norway has been awarded a contract with Statoil to provide integrated drilling services for the Norwegian continental shelf licenses Gullfaks, Gullfaks Satellites, Snorre, Statfjord , Tordis/Vigdis, Visund. The agreement also covers exploration drilling on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Taking effect on 1 September 2014 the contract has a value of NOK 1.15 billion for an initial duration of two years. The contract also has three optional extensions, each for two years. The contract will provide jobs for some 350 people in Schlumberger Norway over the next two years. Services under the agreement include the delivery of directional drilling, measurement while drilling (MWD), logging while drilling (LWD) and mud logging services.

Lundin Petroleum AB, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS, is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 33/2-1 in PL555 has commenced. The well will investigate the hydrocarbon potential of the Storm Prospect in PL555, which is located 200 km west northwest of Florø on the Norwegian west coast and approximately 65 km northwest of the Snorre Field. The main objective of well 33/2-1 is to test the reservoir properties and hydrocarbon potential of the Upper Jurassic Sandstones equivalent to the reservoir in the Magnus field on the UKCS approximately 35 km to the south. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Storm prospect to have the potential to contain unrisked, gross prospective resources of 89 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe).

Teekay’s Petrojarl Knarr FPSO has received PSA Norway’s Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC), and has now arrived the Knarr field in the North Sea. The AoC is a statement from the PSA expressing the authorities’ confidence that petroleum activity can be performed by the facility within the regulatory framework. FPSO Petrojarl Knarr is to be used on the Knarr field, where BG Norge AS is the operator. The Knarr field is in the North Sea, around 50 kilometers north-east of Snorre. Petrojarl Knarr is classified by DNV GL and sails under the Bahamian flag.

Norwegian oil and gas producer Statoil is moving some workers off seven North Sea platforms in anticipation of a weekend storm, but production should not be affect, a spokesman said on Friday. "We are partly unmanning the Statfjord B and C, Troll B, Snorre B, Veslefrikk, Huldra and Heimdal platforms, but production should not be affected," Statoil spokesman Oerjan Heradstveit said. Statoil did not say how many workers would be moved. Wind speeds could reach hurricane levels of 35-45 metres per second, resulting in 10-12 metre high waves, the Norwegian meteorological institute said. The storm will also hit Norway's southwestern coast were several gas processing plants are located, potentially disrupting power supply across the region.