Statoil gives Aker Stord work for Kristin platform in Norwegian Sea

HOUSTON, Jan. 11 -- Statoil ASA has awarded Aker Maritime's Aker Stord yard in Norway a 5 billion kroner ($560 million) main contract for Kristin field in the Norwegian Sea.

Kristin is being developed with a floating production platform tied to 12 subsea wells.

Aker Stord will conduct design and procurement activities for the semisubmersible platform hull as well as the topsides, including the utilities, process, and riser modules and the flare boom. Aker Stord will also fabricate the utilities and process modules as well as hook up the topsides, including the remaining modules. The west Norwegian yard is also responsible for mating topsides and hull.

Engineering will begin in mid-January, with construction work to start in January 2003. The platform will begin production in October 2005.

The contract includes various incentives relating to health, safety and the environment, quality and weight.

Statoil said the gas and condensate development will act as a new field center in the Norwegian Sea.

Statoil will tender later this year for construction of the hull as well as the living quarters, riser module, and flare boom.

Norway has recently approved unitization of the three production licenses 134B, 199, and 257, which include Kristin, Lavrans, Erlend, Morvin, and Ragnfrid fields (OGJ Online, Dec. 21, 2001).

The licensee allocation in the unitization agreement for Kristin is Statoil 46.6%, Petoro 18.9%, Norsk Hydro AS 12%, ExxonMobil Corp. 10.5%, Norsk Agip AG 9%, and TotalFinaElf SA 3%.

The field will produce 35 billion cu m of gas from 2005 to 2016, with gas being going into the existing Asgard system and condensate into the Asgard storage vessel for shuttle tanker export. The Kristin development will require expansion of the Kårstø gas treatment complex north of Stavanger, where the gas will be received and processed.

The field condensate output will be 220 million bbl and gas liquids production 8.5 million tonnes.