Offshore staff
BANCHORY, UK – Xcite Energy Resources has agreed to collaborate with AMEC and Ove Arup & Partners on platform design studies for the Bentley project in the UK northern North Sea.
Under a memorandum of understanding, the trio will optimize the design of Arup’s self-installing, steel ACE platform for the heavy-oilBentley field. This will include all aspects of assurance, engineering, procurement, construction, and installation.
According to Xcite, benefits of this self-elevating design include the ability to build and integrate the platform at a wide range of construction yards. This would allow a direct wet tow to the Bentley field, where the platform could be installed with minimal offshore support.
The design would also take into account decommissioning procedures at the end of field life.
Earlier this week Xcite signed another agreement withTeekay to supply a Sevan FSO to be bridge-linked to the platform. The duo plan to work together from front-end engineering through fabrication, hook up, and into the production/maintenance phase.
The benefits of the bridge-linked concept include greater available deck space to locate utilities on either the platform or the FSO, Xcite says. In addition, there would be reduced flow assurance risk due to the removal of subsea pipelines, with minimized motion characteristics aiding reservoir fluid dehydration.
04/10/2014
