By Bevo Beaven, Editor, Oil & Gas 360
Maersk Drilling (stock ticker: DDRLF) said that its customer CNOOC subsidiary CNOOC Petroleum Europe has exercised a one-well option for its Mærsk Innovator jack-up rig in the North Sea. CNOOC will use the rig to continue drilling infill wells at the Buzzard field on the UK Continental Shelf.
Mærsk Innovator is a CJ70 ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig which was delivered in 2003 and is designed for year-round operations in the North Sea.
CCIO Morten Kelstrup of Maersk Drilling said the activity level is on the rise in the North Sea.
Buzzard
Located about 96 kilometres northeast of Aberdeen, United Kingdom in approximately 96 metres of water, the CNOOC International-operated Buzzard asset is the UK’s highest-producing field, CNOOC reported.
In 2017, CNOOC announced the Buzzard Phase II project involving the construction of a subsea development approximately five kilometres north-east of the Buzzard platform. Buzzard Phase II is a 12-slot production and water injection subsea manifold that will be tied back to the existing Buzzard complex. First oil is expected in 2021.
The players in Buzzard
- CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited is the operating partner of Buzzard (43.21%),
- Suncor Energy UK Ltd. (29.89%),
- Chrysaor (21.73%),
- Dyas Exploration UK Limited (4.70%) and
- Oranje-Nassau Energie Resources Limited (0.46%) also holding interests in the field and its facilities.
