Rig damaged at UK gas field
UK energy company IOG said October 11 that a rig at the Southwark natural gas field may be towed back to port to assess recent damage.
London-listed IOG is developing the Blythe, Elgood and Southwark fields as part of the first phase of a joint development project with partner CalEnergy Resources, a unit of US investment group Berkshire Hathaway.
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The company spudded its first well at the Blythe field in the UK south North Sea in August and first gas was expected in the fourth quarter.
The junior operator said the jack-up rig Noble Hans Deul, owned by Noble, arrived recently at Southwark after completing operations at Blythe. But IOG said “an issue” was identified on one of the legs of the rig on October 10.
No drilling or associated work was ongoing at the time and all 66 people onboard are safe.
“It is initially expected that the rig will be transported to port to undertake any necessary assessments before drilling can be safely resumed,” IOG said.
There was no damage to the hull of the rig and IOG said the installation is “stable.”
“In the meantime, this has no bearing on the timing of Phase 1 first gas from the Blythe and Elgood fields, which remains on schedule to occur during Q4 2021,” IOG CEO Andrew Hockey said.