Gas production is due to start soon from a newly installed gas platform in the Dutch sector of the North Sea which is designed to be reused. Centrica’s F3-FA new gas field development features a jackup platform fitted with suction anchors and has been specially designed for marginal and sub-marginal fields where it can used and then moved to another field for redeployment.
Built by Heerema Vlissingen and installed by Heerema using a barge with assistance from Dutch engineering group SPT Offshore, the new jack up platform dubbed SIP2 – which has cost around €200 million (US $278 m) – about the same as a conventional jack up rig – is capable of reuse so that its cost can be spread over several developments.