Maersk Begins Culzean Drilling

Denmark’s Maersk Oil said September 29 that it began drilling the first production well on its $4.5bn Culzean gas field development at 6pm the previous day. 

It’s the first of six production wells to be drilled on the high pressure/high temperature field, with continuous drilling activity planned over the next five years. First gas is scheduled in 2019.

“This is an important milestone in ensuring that we can deliver Culzean on schedule, and with it 5% of UK gas demand in 2020/21. It’s great to have Maersk Drilling as a partner and together we are working to ensure a safe drilling programme on this critical project for Maersk and the UK,” says Gretchen Watkins, Maersk Oil’s CEO designate.

Gretchen H Watkins becomes Maersk Oil CEO from October 1 (Photo credit: Maersk Oil)

The Maersk Highlander rig is drilling the first production well through a wellhead platform (WHP) jacket and well access deck (WAD) which were installed on location at the field, in the UK central North Sea, in spring 2016.

When the three topsides are installed in 2018 and hooked up in 2019, three of the six production wells will be ready for first gas. The WHP jacket and WAD were constructed in the Netherlands and Hartlepool, UK, with construction of the Wellhead topsides ongoing in Singapore. The drilling campaign will be supported by more than 30 UK-based well services companies.

Parent company AP Moller-Maersk announced last week it will split in two, with Maersk Oil under its new CEO to be included in a new Energy business. It comes as Maersk must decide shortly whether to shut down definitively or redevelop Denmark’s main offshore gas processing hub.

Mark Smedley