Page 47: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1996)

Exxon Fast Track North Soa Development Greenlighted By British Government

On July 23, Exxon Corporation announced that the British govern- ment has approved plans for fast track development of the Curlew field in the Central North Sea.

Use of a converted tanker as a

Floating Production Storage and

Offloading (FPSO) facility will allow the $450-million project to be brought on stream in record time.

Exxon's U.K. affiliate, Esso

Exploration and Production U.K.,

Ltd., holds a 50 percent interest in

Curlew, which is located about 130 miles east of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Shell U.K. Exploration and

Production also owns a 50 percent interest and is the operator.

Total recoverable reserves are estimated to be about 125 million oil equivalent barrels, over half of which are liquids. The project will develop two oil and gas accumula- tions.

First production from Curlew is expected in the fall of 1997, less than eighteen months from the award of the FPSO contract, and three years after discovery of the second accumulation. At its peak, oil production is projected at 45,000 barrels per day, and natur- al gas at 100 million standard cu. ft. per day.

John H. Steele, managing director of Esso Exploration and

Production U.K., said, "The Curlew development marks a significant step in the current phase of North

Sea development. The project

Sulzer Engines To Be Fitted

On RoRo, Containership

Newbuilds

Two 23-knot RoRos ordered in

Italy by Tor Line will be powered by twin Sulzer 9ZA50S medium speed diesels. These are the first orders for the new engine design, which was introduced in October 1995 by

New Sulzer Diesel Ltd. of Win- terthur, Switzerland. Fincantieri has been tasked with building the vessels, which will be in operation between Gothenburg and Ghent,

Belgium, and between Gothenburg and Immingham in the U.K.

Each engine has a combined max- imum continuous output of 21,600 kW at 450 rpm, and will drive twin

CP propellers. The engines will be built under license at the Trieste works of the Diesel Engine Division of Fincantieri, which, as a group, is one of the joint shareholders in New

Sulzer Diesel.

New Sulzer has also received the first orders for its new RTA96C large bore, low speed diesel engine, which provides up to 65,880 kW, and was specifically designed for the new generation of larger, faster containerships. Two 11-cylinder engine models will be installed on a 5,750-TEU containership building at Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy

Industries Co. Ltd. (IHI) for NYK

Line. team has been able to make it com- mercially viable thanks to the innovative combination of an aggressive timetable, tight control of costs, and conversion of an exist- ing tanker to an FPSO vessel. We are confident that the team will meet this challenging schedule while maintaining high quality and safety standards."

The tanker to be converted is the 100,000-ton Maersk Dorset.

Once completed, the Curlew FPSO will be able to store 560,000 bar- rels of oil. The FPSO will be leased from MAS Production Company, a subsidiary of Maersk Company

Ltd. U.K., which has subcontracted the conversion work to several

U.K. and European contractors.

The Curlew FPSO will be the second for the Esso/Shell venture in the Central North Sea. The first is Anasuria, which is scheduled to begin producing in the Teal and

Guillemot fields by the fourth quarter this year.

Oil from the Curlew field will be exported via shuttle tankers, while natural gas will be transported via a new tie-in to the existing Fulmar pipeline flowing to the St. Fergus terminal in Scotland.

For a really turnaround

Ship operators choose the C5AM-DF

Semi-Automatic

Twistlock.

The user-friendly design of the

C5AM-DF makes operation smooth and easy, thus increasing personnel productivity at the terminal.

Using the C5AM-DF, deconing and coning can be handled safely and easily on the dock. This saves time and reduces "per-move" costs.

The C5AM-DF also operates as a tradi- tional twistlock if required and is the only dual function twistlock that is safe to operate on board • The flexible cable with high-visibility handle is a unique All Set design that has proved its reliability during seven years of operation. • No relocking minimizes cone failure and provides unbeatable productivity. • 700,000 C5AM-DF's are now in use worldwide.

The latest addition to the list of users is Maersk Line • Major ports prefer the C5AM-DF for its safety and productivity.

The original design and remarkably high reliability of the C5AM-DF Semi-Automatic Twistlock are the result of extensive product experience.

So why risk cone failure or operating delays?

Choose the C5AM-DF Semi-Automatic Twistlock and reduce your operating costs!

The ultimate in safety and productivity.

Contact us, or our distributors/agents, for product details and a reference list.

All Set Marine Lashing AB

Box 14 112, S-161 14 Bromma, Sweden.

Tel: +46-8 80 75 70. Fax: 46-8 80 15 88.

E-mail: [email protected]

All Set Marine is seeking agents and distributors in Europe.

August, 1996 Circle 203 on Reader