Operators Faroe Petroleum, Eni Hewett and oilfield service company Petrofac have signed a tripartite agreement to share logistics and accommodation services to cut the cost of their UK operations at the Hewett, Schooner and Ketch gas fields in the southern North Sea.
Faroe Petroleum is operator and 60% equity holder in the Schooner and Ketch fields in the North Sea, and Eni Hewett is operator and 89% equity holder in the Hewett complex. Petrofac is duty holder at all three fields.
Faroe Petroleum and Eni Hewett have agreed to share the services of Faroe’s new helicopter, a new variant of NHV’s Augusta Westland 139 model.
In exchange, offshore personnel contracted to Faroe’s Schooner and Ketch assets, which are normally unmanned, will stay at the nearby Eni Hewett complex, rather than returning to shore each day. The arrangement will cut travel time, make mobilisation more cost-efficient and allow for greater flexibility, Petrofac said in a statement.
“If we’re to fulfil Sir Ian Wood’s vision to maximise economic recovery from the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), co-operation is crucial in restoring competitiveness. We are now hearing examples up and down the country of companies finding ways to work together in order to revitalise the UKCS,” commented Deirdre Michie, Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive, in a statement.
“To build on the work of individual companies, Oil & Gas UK has put in place the Efficiency Task Force to provide the catalyst for pan-industry improvement – in processes, standardisation and behaviours – so that the UK oil and gas industry can continue to attract investment and support hundreds of thousands of high-skilled jobs for decades to come.”
Graham Stewart, chief executive of Faroe Petroleum, said: “Since taking over operatorship of Schooner and Ketch last year, we have focused on a number of measures across the supply chain designed to improve operational efficiency without compromising safety which we feel is especially relevant in this new era of low commodity prices.”
