Offshore contractor Subsea 7 has been awarded a $150 million subsea, umbilical, riser and flowline (SURF) contract by Maersk Oil for the development of the Culzean field in the UK North Sea.
The ultra-high pressure, high temperature field, one of the largest gas discoveries offshore UK, is located in Block 22/25 of the Central North Sea at a water depth of approximately 90 m.
The contract scope includes project management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of a 22-in. diameter, 52-km gas export pipeline connected to the Central Area Transmission System (CATS), and a 3.6-km pipe-in-pipe (10-in. outer pipe and 6-in. inner pipe) providing insulation for the transportation of the condensate to the in-field Floating, Storage and Offloading facility (FSO).
The contract award comes just one day after Maersk Oil won approval from the UK’s Oil & Gas Authority to develop the field, said to be the largest gas field discovered in the area in more than a decade.
Project management and engineering work will commence immediately from Subsea 7's Aberdeen office. Offshore activities will utilise a number of Subsea 7 vessels including the highly versatile pipelay and heavy-lift vessel, Seven Borealis. Offshore operations are scheduled to commence in 2017.
Phil Simons, Vice President UK and Canada, said: 'This large project awarded by Maersk Oil for their Culzean field development, confirms our reputation as a world-class provider of reliable and cost-effective SURF solutions. The Seven Borealis has the ability to deliver fit-for-purpose performance demonstrating the optimum balance of cost-efficiency and capability. We look forward to collaborating with Maersk to ensure the safe and timely delivery of this significant gas production development.'