New Montrose Platform Heads For The North Sea

The Montrose Bridge Linked Platform (BLP) topsides has sailed out from the Heerema Fabrication Group's Zwijndrecht yard 12 miles south of Rotterdam. 

The topsides will make a short stop off at Schiedam (five miles west of Rotterdam) for the installation and commissioning of an 80-tonne pedestal crane and the attachment of the upper sections of the exhaust stacks. At the end of April the platform will then travel 430 nautical miles to the Montrose area located in Block 22/17, in the Central North Sea.

Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited sanctioned the Montrose Area Redevelopment (MAR) to significantly enhance the Montrose Area infrastructure, including the development of three new fields - Godwin, Cayley, and Shaw. The new BLP will be connected to the Montrose Alpha platform to provide additional process and plant support facilities. The project is expected to extend the life of the Montrose Area fields by at least 13 years, to beyond 2030, and unlock an additional 100 million boe of reserves. 

Bill Dunnett, Managing Director of Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited said: “The Montrose Area Redevelopment is not only one of the biggest capital projects in the UK North Sea this year, but also a tangible demonstration of the long term commitment of our shareholders and partners to the UKCS. It adds a completely new facility to our core infrastructure and can be a game-changer for this business, adding significant production and maximising economic recovery from these historic assets for years to come.”

Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited is the operator with a working interest of 58.97%, and Marubeni Oil & Gas (U.K.) Limited is the sole partner.