The Seagull field has been developed as a four-well subsea tieback to the BP’s central processing facility (CPF) of the Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) in the central North Sea, located around 140 miles east of Aberdeen
British oil and gas company BP, together with its partners Neptune Energy and JAPEX, has started production from the Seagull oil and gas field in the UK North Sea.
Seagull is hosted by BP-operated ETAP CPF in the UK North Sea. (Credit: BP p.l.c.)
Neptune Energy holds a 35% stake and operated the Seagull field through the development phase, by drilling wells and installing subsea equipment.
BP holds a 50% stake and will operate the production phase of the Seagull development, while JAPEX holds the remaining 15% interest in the field.
The Seagull field has been developed as a subsea tieback to the BP’s central processing facility (CPF) of the Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) in the central North Sea.
Its start-up is expected to boost energy supplies, support the supply chain and jobs, and ensure continued production from an offshore facility that’s been operating for 25 years.
BP North Sea senior vice president Doris Reiter said: “BP has been safely operating in the North Sea for nearly 60 years, delivering a reliable flow of energy, supporting thousands of jobs and a world-class supply chain.
“The start-up of Seagull is a fantastic milestone that demonstrates how BP is investing in today’s energy system and, at the same time, investing in the energy transition.”
Neptune Energy UK country director Alan Muirhead said: “From the beginning, the partners have taken an innovative approach to ensure we can collectively maximise the recovery of domestic energy resources while extending the life of existing subsea infrastructure to reduce development costs.”
Seagull is a four-well subsea tie-back project that re-uses the existing facilities on the Heron pipeline and is hosted by the BP-operated ETAP CPF in the Central North Sea.
It is the first tieback to the ETAP hub in the last two decades, that delivered production through a new three-mile subsea pipeline that connects to an existing pipeline system.
The Seagull field has seen a new 10-mile umbilical installation, which links the field with ETAP CPF, providing control, power and communications between the surface and seafloor.
The project has supported 800 jobs through the development phase and is expected to support 270 offshore and 80 onshore full-time jobs during the production phase.
Seagull is expected to produce around 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent gross per day at peak production, which will be exported to Grangemouth, Scotland through the Forties Pipeline.
The produced gas will be exported to Teesside through the Central Area Transmission System.
BP North Sea senior vice president Doris Reiter said: “BP has been safely operating in the North Sea for nearly 60 years, delivering a reliable flow of energy, supporting thousands of jobs and a world-class supply chain.
“The start-up of Seagull is a fantastic milestone that demonstrates how BP is investing in today’s energy system and, at the same time, investing in the energy transition.”
JAPEX managing executive officer Tomomi Yamada said: “We believe this commencement in production will benefit our business expansion strategy in the North Sea and realise the significant potential of the UK Continental Shelf.”
