Banff FPSO remains in position after loss of tension in anchor lines

Canadian Natural Resources International has confirmed the production was shut down on its Banff field in the North Sea on Sunday, January 3, due to a heavy storm that caused the FPSO Banff to lose tension in two of its anchor lines. 

The Banff field is operated by CNR and produced via the leased Petrojarl Banff FPSO owned by Teekay.

After several news reports of the incident, Offshore Energy Today on Thursday reached out to CNR seeking further details about the FPSO and the number of workers aboard the vessel.

According to the operator of the field, all 44 personnel on board the FPSO are safe and have been accounted for. The Petrojarl Banff remains in position under its own power, but CNR did not specify when the FPSO might return to production.

There has been no reported impact to the environment and CNR is working with all relevant authorities, including the Coastguard, the company said in a statement.

CNR also said that Teekay has mobilised the anchor handling vessel, Normand Ranger, which has arrived on site and is on standby to provide support as required. Teekay has also mobilised two further vessels to provide additional support.

The Petrojarl Banff is located 190km east of Aberdeen, in the Central North Sea.

The FPSO was built in 1997 and has storage capacity of 88,000 bbls. It employs a wedge shape design, it is 120.7 m long and accommodates 60 people.

Offshore Energy Today Staff