NEWS

Engineering firm wins contract extension

An international engineering contractor has won a three-year extension to its contract to support the Southern North Sea operations of Eon Ruhrgas UK North Sea (ERUK), part of energy giant Eon.

The multi-million-pound deal clinched by ODE, which has a base in Yarmouth, has been widened to include services to the Rita and Babbage field developments, which are both due to come into production over the next two years.

The contract includes office-based engineering support facilities such as engineering and technical services, maintenance planning, an emergency response centre, warehousing, operational spares storage and quayside access and storage.

ODE will provide operations and maintenance input during detailed design and onshore pre-commissioning as well as the development of maintenance and inspection schemes.

Once the Babbage platform is installed, ODE will provide a crew comprising operations, maintenance and support services (including catering, medics and radio operators) to assist during commissioning and start-up for the manned phase of Babbage operations.

Babbage is believed to be one of the largest undeveloped gas fields in the Southern North Sea, with an estimated life of more than 20 years.

ODE regional manager Paul Chilvers said the extension of the contract was a major achievement for the company, and it was in large part due to the strong relationship it had developed with ERUK since 2000 through previous owners Caldeonia Oil and Gas and Consort Resources.

“This extension of the ERUK operations support contract represents a further demonstration of ODE's commitment to provide a locally based comprehensive support capability to SNS operators,” he said.

“It is an aspect of the business we are very keen to develop further.”

While the Rita Field, due to start production next year, will be another subsea development linked to the Conoco Phillips-operated Murdoch platform, the Babbage Field will be developed with a standalone platform about 50 miles north-east of Dimlington, on the East Yorkshire coast.

Gas produced from the Babbage platform will be exported via a 17-mile pipeline to the nearby BP-operated West Sole pipeline system to the Dimlington gas terminal.

The Babbage Field is operated by ERUK (47pc share) and its partners Dana Petroleum (40pc) and Centrica Resources (13pc).