Hibiscus spuds one of only three UKCS wells scheduled in 2025 as sector faces ‘historic lows’

September 19, 2025, by Dragana Nikše

Malaysian independent oil and gas exploration and production company, Hibiscus Petroleum, has drilled a new well at a field in the Central North Sea (CNS) off the coast of the United Kingdom.

Shelf Drilling Fortress departing Invergordon; Source: Hibiscus Petroleum

After mobilizing from Invergordon, Scotland, the week before, the Shelf Drilling Fortress jack-up rig spudded a new well at the Teal West field on September 14, 2025, Hibiscus reported.

Based on the project summary, the prospect is proposed to be developed over three phases and involves the drilling of up to two production subsea wells in the Teal West field to extract oil and gas and one water injection well.

The site is situated approximately four kilometers from FPSO Anasuria, to which it will be tied by 3.4-kilometer flowlines back once completed. Installed and commissioned in 1996. The FPSO supports oil production, storage, and gas export from the Guillemot A, Teal, Teal South, and Cook fields, also known as the Anasuria Cluster.

The operator further reported that subsea installation activities at Teal West are scheduled for early Q2 2026, with first oil to follow by mid-2026. The project summary indicates that oil is planned to be exported to shore via offtake tankers, while the gas produced will be used as fuel offshore. The remaining gas will be exported to shore via the existing Fulmar Gas Line.

Anasuria Hibiscus UK Limited (AHUK), Hibiscus Petroleum’s wholly-owned subsidiary, has operated FPSO Anasuria and Anasuria Cluster through its Anasuria Operating Company joint venture since 2022. Its partner is Ping Petroleum UK, a subsidiary of Dagang NeXchange Berhad (DNeX).

“We are continuing to invest in the UK North Sea as we believe that at some point, factors such as energy security, the environmental cost of importing LNG and the preservation of local jobs will encourage the UK government to proactively and positively revise the current fiscal regime. In the meantime, we are focused on delivering a safe and top quartile performance for the drilling operation currently being undertaken,” said AHUK General Manager, Tom Reeve.

Hibiscus pointed out that the UK oil and gas sector is under significant pressure, with activity levels at “historic lows.” In this context, Teal West is said to be one of only three development wells being drilled across the entire UK Continental Shelf in 2025.