Safe Scandinavia flotel cleared for use on Aker BP’s Ula field

Oil company Aker BP has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to use the Safe Scandinavia flotel on the Ula field offshore Norway.

PSA said on Monday that it gave Aker BP, the operator of the Ula field, the consent to use the Safe Scandinavia flotel from September 1, 2018, until November 31, 2019.

The Ula field is located in the southern part of the North Sea, northwest of the Ekofisk field, and consists of three platforms. The field center serves as an area hub for the satellite field Tambar, and as a third-party host for the Oselvar and Blane fields.

Safe Scandinavia won the contract for work on the Ula field back in early July. The contract will start in mid-August 2018 and have a firm duration of seven months with eight one-month options.

The total value of the contract, excluding the option periods, is around $25.5 million. The option periods, if exercised, have a total value of approximately $36.7 million.

As for the flotel, it was constructed in 1984 at Aker Verdal to an Aker H-3.2E design and has a maximum accommodation capacity of 583 beds. The Safe Scandinavia received an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AOC) from the PSA in April 2007.

According to info on Prosafe’s website, the Safe Scandinavia has been operating as a tender support vessel since March 2016. The company has said that with minor modifications, the vessel will also be capable of conducting plug & abandonment, well intervention, and decommissioning projects.