Hi Lucky hope you are well,things just a little quiet at the moment,so here is a bit more info for the Capt on your "BIG BOUY"
Chestnut Field: Commercially Viable and Approved
by MARK WILLIAMSON Newsquest Media Group
The Herald 11/25/2005
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=27244
VENTURE Production moved closer to bringing one of the smallest fields ever developed in the North Sea into production, after winning approval from the government for the project.
The Aberdeen-based independent said it hoped to start production from the Chestnut field in the central North Sea in the second half of 2007.
The field was discovered in 1986, but with less than 10 million barrels recoverable it was not previously considered big enough to make development commercially attractive.
However, Venture, which specialises in developing fields that bigger players consider too small to be worth investing in, will be able to develop the field using a specially designed floating production vessel, the Sevan SSP.
This will allow the company to avoid having to tie the field into a producing platform via expensive pipelines.
"The Sevan SSP offers a simple, re-usable, low-cost solution which has the potential to lower the threshold for economic development of 'stranded' oil fields in the North Sea, " said chief executive Mike Wagstaff.
The company, which has a 70-per cent operating interest in Chestnut, estimates the field contains total recoverable reserves of between six and seven million barrels.
Aspokeswoman could not give an estimate of what daily production from Chestnut would be if it came on stream on schedule.
Separately, the oil services giant Expro International provided further evidence of the boom in North Sea activity which has resulted from sharp increases in oil prices.
The company grew first-half revenues from its Europe and former Soviet Union business by 22-per cent to GBP34m, largely as a result of increased demand for production enhancement technology in the North Sea.
In order to cope with the growth in orders, the division has increased employee numbers in its Aberdeen head office by 20-per cent to 750 in the past year.
Expro grew interim operating profits 65-per cent to GBP13.6m, compared with the first half last year. Group sales increased to GBP132m, from GBP101m.
Image Description: The Chestnut Field development will use a new concept floating production vessel, the Sevan Marine SSP300. This vessel is a lower cost alternative to developing stranded fields in the North Sea.