Forties oilfield
Encyclopedia
The Forties Oil Field is the largest oil field
in the North Sea
, 110 miles east of Aberdeen. It was discovered in 1970 and first produced oil in 1975 under ownership of BP
.
in 350 feet (106.7 m) of water. BP's semi-submersible
drilling rig Sea Quest
hit crude at 11000 feet (3,352.8 m) in the upper tertiary sandstone.
Four appraisal wells drilled during 1970-1971 revealed a large reservoir at a depth of about 7000 feet (2,133.6 m). So marked the first and largest major oil field discovery in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. Oil had previously been discovered at the Ekofisk field.
Named Forties after the sea area in which it lies, the field began producing oil in September 1975 and was officially inaugurated by Her Majesty on November 3, 1975.
The production from the field peaked in 1979 at 500 koilbbl/d, well above early predictions.
as a strategic asset for accessing the Forties pipeline system
without being dependent on the older access point, Forties Charlie.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, BP was ubiquitous in the North Sea, owning or partnering with other firms to own the best and biggest fields in the North Sea. BP owned their own commercial deepsea diving company, Subsea International, which serviced their structures and pipelines as well as others worldwide. BP owned a fleet of helicopters, including Sikorsky S-71s used for crew changes on their platforms. The North Sea is typically too rough to make personnel transfers from a crewboat to a rig by basket or ladder, resulting in all crew changes being made by helicopter. North Sea crews typically worked two weeks on, two weeks off. Crews would often wait a day to a week to land on their platform, due to frequent dense fog which prevented landing on the 'Foggy Forties', a hazardous act even in clear weather. BP owned buildings around the airports around the North Sea to accommodate the crews while they were waiting or sometimes stranded in the Shetland Islands en route to the rigs from Aberdeen, Scotland.
. When BP
sold its 96% share in the field for $812 million in 2003, some traditionalists likened it to selling off the family silver.
Apache Corporation
, who bought the field, immediately initiated an intensive re-evalutation of the field and found a further 800 Moilbbl, extending the field's life by at least 20 years, making the investment by Apache a very profitable one.
Although they lost out on producing the additional reserves directly, retaining the Forties pipeline system
allows BP
to profit from Apache's exploration investments without needing to invest anything itself.
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, 110 miles east of Aberdeen. It was discovered in 1970 and first produced oil in 1975 under ownership of BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
.
History
BP had made the announcement to the press on October 7, 1970, oil had been struck 110 miles (177 km) east-northeast of AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in 350 feet (106.7 m) of water. BP's semi-submersible
Semi-submersible
A semi-submersible is a specialised marine vessel with good stability and seakeeping characteristics. The semi-submersible vessel design is commonly used in a number of specific offshore roles such as for offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms and heavy lift cranes.The...
drilling rig Sea Quest
Sea Quest
The Sea Quest was a semi-submersible drilling rig. She discovered the UK's first North Sea oil on 14 September 1969 in the Arbroath Field...
hit crude at 11000 feet (3,352.8 m) in the upper tertiary sandstone.
Four appraisal wells drilled during 1970-1971 revealed a large reservoir at a depth of about 7000 feet (2,133.6 m). So marked the first and largest major oil field discovery in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. Oil had previously been discovered at the Ekofisk field.
Named Forties after the sea area in which it lies, the field began producing oil in September 1975 and was officially inaugurated by Her Majesty on November 3, 1975.
The production from the field peaked in 1979 at 500 koilbbl/d, well above early predictions.
Reservoir
By the time BP sold the field in 2003, their reservoir engineers estimated the STOIIP was 4.2 Goilbbl.Development
There are five fixed platforms around the field: Forties Alpha, Forties Bravo, Forties Charlie, Forties Delta and Forties Echo. A riser platform, Forties Unity, lies further to the west and remains owned by BPBP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
as a strategic asset for accessing the Forties pipeline system
Forties pipeline system
The Forties pipeline system is a pre-eminent pipeline network in the North Sea carrying 30% of the UK's oil, or about of oil a day, to shore. It is owned and operated by UK-based global energy company BP, who retained the asset after selling the Forties oilfield to Apache Corp. in 2003...
without being dependent on the older access point, Forties Charlie.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, BP was ubiquitous in the North Sea, owning or partnering with other firms to own the best and biggest fields in the North Sea. BP owned their own commercial deepsea diving company, Subsea International, which serviced their structures and pipelines as well as others worldwide. BP owned a fleet of helicopters, including Sikorsky S-71s used for crew changes on their platforms. The North Sea is typically too rough to make personnel transfers from a crewboat to a rig by basket or ladder, resulting in all crew changes being made by helicopter. North Sea crews typically worked two weeks on, two weeks off. Crews would often wait a day to a week to land on their platform, due to frequent dense fog which prevented landing on the 'Foggy Forties', a hazardous act even in clear weather. BP owned buildings around the airports around the North Sea to accommodate the crews while they were waiting or sometimes stranded in the Shetland Islands en route to the rigs from Aberdeen, Scotland.
Renewal by Apache
The importance of the field has made it a status symbol in the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. When BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
sold its 96% share in the field for $812 million in 2003, some traditionalists likened it to selling off the family silver.
Apache Corporation
Apache Corporation
Apache Corporation is an American independent oil and gas corporation. It is headquartered in 1 Post Oak Central in the Uptown district of Houston, Texas....
, who bought the field, immediately initiated an intensive re-evalutation of the field and found a further 800 Moilbbl, extending the field's life by at least 20 years, making the investment by Apache a very profitable one.
Although they lost out on producing the additional reserves directly, retaining the Forties pipeline system
Forties pipeline system
The Forties pipeline system is a pre-eminent pipeline network in the North Sea carrying 30% of the UK's oil, or about of oil a day, to shore. It is owned and operated by UK-based global energy company BP, who retained the asset after selling the Forties oilfield to Apache Corp. in 2003...
allows BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
to profit from Apache's exploration investments without needing to invest anything itself.
External links
- Apache http://www.apachecorp.com
- National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive (1970s documentary about the construction of 'Highland Two', the second of two major oil drilling and production structures for the Forties Field, at the Nigg yard of Highlands Fabricators)