FoundOcean wins Solan field grouting contract

FoundOcean has secured two contract awards, on the Solan oil field development to the west of the Shetlands in the North Sea, with Heerema Marine Contractors and Bibby Offshore.

The contracts cover the structural grouting for the 8,000-tonne Solan platform jacket and its specially designed 300,000-barrel subsea storage facility, in water depths of 135 metres.

FoundOcean will also pile-grout the offloading system base which will carry oil from the subsea storage facility to a shuttle tanker. Offshore work is expected to start in the summer of 2014.

“Our continual technical innovation and our commitment to safety has helped preserve our strong position in North Sea oil and gas construction,” said FoundOcean managing director Jim Bell.

“We’re delighted that both these very important clients are once again recognising FoundOcean’s experience and capabilities to deliver on this high profile development.”

The Premier Oil-operated Solan field is expected to produce approximately 40 million barrels of oil with an estimated initial production rate of 24,000 barrels of oil per day starting in the fourth quarter of 2014.

The project will entail  the drilling of four subsea wells (two producers and two water injectors) tied back to a processing deck supported by a jacket. It is planned that the facilities will not be permanently manned after one year of operations. Oil will be stored in a sub-sea tank prior to being offloaded to shuttle tankers.