Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK --Maersk Oil has produced first oil from its Dumbarton development in UK North Sea blocks 15/20a and 15/20b. Development drilling started last July, and five horizontal producers wells and one deviated produced water injector are currently tied back to the field's FPSO, the Global Producer III.
The vessel formerly operated on Kerr-McGee's Leadon field. Ahead of its new role, it underwent an upgrade program at the A&P ship yard and McNulty's fabrication site, both on Tyneside, northern England. The $189 million topsides re-fit and modifications were needed to allow the 54,500 metric ton, 217 m long vessel to handle Dumbarton's crude, which is much lighter and with a higher gas content than Leadon's.
Dumbarton is a Palaeocene oilfield, formerly known as Donan, which was produced by BP for five years during the 1990s via theSeillean single well oil production system. That program generated 15 MM bbl of oil before BP abandoned the field in 1998.
01/24/2007
