Petrofac has been appointed well operator by Hurricane Energy in a three-year contract to support wells located in the North Sea, West of Shetland.
Petrofac said it is the first outsourced well operator to manage a drilling campaign in the UKCS under new regulations set by the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator – with drilling having started on the Lancaster Block on July 6, 2016 with the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling rig.
Hurricane has two wells planned as part of this program on the Lancaster field, the pilot well and the horizontal sidetrack well.
Petrofac’s well engineering team will continue to provide all well engineering and project management support services for the operator’s drilling activities.
The well operator capability has evolved from Petrofac’s outsourced Service Operator model and its track record in well project management. This capability enables Petrofac to provide its clients with a standalone or integrated approach to the management of their wells, installation and pipeline operations, the company explained.
Walter Thain , Managing Director – West, Petrofac Engineering & Production Services, said: “Through the deployment of our extensive asset and well management expertise, we will work closely with Hurricane Energy to assure the integrity of the wells and deliver a safe and cost efficient drilling programme to support the further advancement of the development.”
Dr Robert Trice , CEO Hurricane Energy, said: “We are very pleased to have Petrofac as Well Operator and partner for our exciting wells on Lancaster to be drilled this summer and as we appraise and develop our fractured basement portfolio subsequently.”
In March 2016, Petrofac announced its first Service Operator contract with Anasuria Operating Company which combined the responsibilities for Installation Operator (including Duty Holder), Pipeline Operator and Well Operator for the first time in the UKCS.