Statoil has awarded Heerema the contract for the Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) of the unmanned wellhead platform at Oseberg Vestflanken 2, as well as the transport and installation of the platform.

Heerema Fabrication Group (HFG) will carry out the engineering, procurement and construction of the unmanned wellhead platform and Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) will be responsible for the transport and installation of the platform. Fabrication of the platform will start in June this year and the sail away is scheduled for summer 2017, followed by installation with HMC’s Semi Submersible Crane Vessel.

Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven, CEO of Heerema Fabrication Group, states: “We are very pleased that we have been awarded this contract, for which the lean and innovative concept of our engineers was the basis. Our design of an unmanned wellhead platform with no facilities, helicopter deck or lifeboats represents a new solution in Norway with great possibilities. It meets the challenges of lower investment costs and higher efficiency requirements of Statoil. Our innovative and detailed design capability, knowledge and experience are recognized as critical success factors for the execution of this project. Also important to Statoil is that the engineering, procurement and construction of the platform will be executed on one site, our Zwijndrecht yard.”

Jan-Pieter Klaver, CEO of Heerema Marine Contractors, adds: “Both HMC and HFG have a good track record with Statoil. Even though we have two separate contracts we want to show Statoil and the oil & gas industry that we can deliver Unmanned Wellhead Platforms as an integrated EPCI contractor. Statoil can be confident that our combined expertise and experience will ensure a meticulously executed project that will meet all their expectations.”

About Oseberg Vestflanken 2

The Oseberg Vestflanken 2 platform will be installed in the Norwegian part of the North Sea at a water depth up to 110 meters and approximately 8 kilometers northwest of the Oseberg Field Centre. The topside will measure 25 x 23 meters, has a height of 20 meters and will weigh 900 tonnes. The jacket will have a height of 138 meters with a foot print of 36 x 36 meters and a weight of approximately 4,400 tonnes. Special to the jacket are suction buckets instead of piles.

Oseberg Vestflanken 2 is the first of three planned phases for developing the remaining reserves in the Oseberg area, about 130 kilometers north-west of Bergen. The Oseberg Vestflanken Development will consist of an unmanned wellhead platform with 10 well slots. Two existing subsea wells will also be reused. All wells will be drilled by a jack up Cat-J drilling rig. The well stream will be routed to the Oseberg Field Centre via a new pipeline, and the wells will be remote-controlled from the Field Centre. The field development will provide 110 million barrels of oil equivalent. Production start is scheduled for the second quarter of 2018.

About Heerema Marine Contractors

Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) is a world leading marine contractor in the international offshore oil and gas industry. HMC transports, installs, and removes all types of offshore facilities. These include fixed and floating structures, subsea pipelines and infrastructures in shallow waters, deep and ultra deep waters. HMC operates semi-submersible crane vessels and deep water construction vessels. The company is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Heerema Group.

About Statoil

Statoil ASA (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) is an international energy company with operations in 36 countries. Building on 40 years of experience from oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, we are committed to accommodating the world's energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. We are headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, with approximately 23,000 employees worldwide, and are listed on the Oslo and New York stock exchanges.