Offshore staff
KOPERVIK, Norway -- Gassco has assumed operatorship of the North Sea trunkline which will transport gas from the Gjøa and Vega fields to the FLAGS pipeline system in the UK North Sea.
The Statoil-operated Gjøa/Vega development is nearing completion, and a new 130-km (81-mi), 28-in. (71-cm) pipeline has been laid and linked to the Shell-operated FLAGS system. It is due to be emptied of water and filled with rich gas during the second half of August.
“We’ll be using gas from Tampen Link and Flags to de-water the line and for Statoil to prepare the Gjøa platform for production,” said David Rodrigues de Miranda, Gassco’s project manager.
GDF SUEZ E&P Norge will take over as Gjøa operator from the start of the production phase on Oct. 1. A six-strong team from Gassco has been working on operational preparations and switch of operatorship since 2007.
The Gjøa Gas Pipe has been incorporated into the Gassled transport system offshore Norway.
Gjøa is around 40 km (25 mi) north of the Fram field in the North Sea. Development, including the Vega satellite, has involved tying subsea templates back to a semisubmersible production and process platform.
Oil from the field will be exported to Mongstad via a new 50-km (31-mi) pipeline tied into Troll Oil Pipeline II, with the gas landed at St. Fergus, north of Aberdeen.
06/02/2010
