Curlew Gas and Condensate Field

Summary Information

• Operator: Shell
• Country: UK
• Location: North Sea
• Production start:
• Partners:
• Type: Oil / Gas
• Estimated Reserves:
• Production Volume: No longer producing

Description

The Curlew cluster is located in Block 29/7 of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) in the central North Sea. It is situated 197 km SE of Aberdeen.

• The Curlew is a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) Maersk Curlew FPSO, located over the Curlew reservoir.
• The FPSO has equipment for oil and gas processing, storage and offloading, gas processing and export and treatment of produced water. Oil from

the Curlew FPSO is exported onshore via shuttle tanker, while gas is exported from the Curlew FPSO to the St. Fergus Terminal via the Fulmar Gas Pipeline The Curlew FPSO was originally built at the Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark as the tanker Maersk Dorset in 1983. In 1997, The tanker was converted at A&P Tyne on the River Tyne, while the fabrication, construction and installation of the topsides was carried out by AMEC. It was deployed in the Curlew Field in 1997, where it produced first oil that arose from the phased development of the subsea Curlew B-D fields. There are 3 subsea tie-backs to the Curlew FPSO: • Curlew B field produced from a single well; • Curlew C field produces from a single well (re-uses the original Kyle dynamic riser) with gas lift and associated subsea structures; • Curlew D field produces via two production lines from four wells tied back to a production manifold together and associated subsea structures; Gas is exported to St Fergus via a connection to the Fulmar pipeline, with associated subsea structures. The Kyle field was tied to the FPSO back until 2005, but is currently physically disconnected and is produced over a different host. Curlew C was brought online in 2008 as a tie back to the FPSO via a production and gas lift line. Curlew B field has been shut-in since 2007. Shell acquired ownership of the FPSO in 2013.

• The Curlew field system comprises a floating production storage offloading unit (FPSO), Maersk Curlew FPSO, connected via flexible flowlines and risers to three fields (Curlew B, C, and D)
• Gas is transported through the Fulmar Gas Pipeline for sale in the UK

Contractors

• **A&P Tyne:** Construction of hull
• **AMEC:**
  • Construction of Topsides
  • FEED for for modifications to Maersk’s Curlew FPSO
• **KWSubsea:** Curlew C Development - Detailed design of 6km 8" production pipeline, 3" gas lift piggyback system, tie-in spoolpiece, control umbilical and pliant wave tether base
• **J P Kenny:** Design and supply of tee assembly for new well

History

• 1996 - Project development approved by UK Government
• 2007 - Project development approved by UK Government for Curlew C
• 2010 - AMEC awarded FEED for for modifications to the FPSO
• 2016 - Shell submitted request for cessation of production
• 2018 - Shell submitted a plan for decommissioning
• 2019 - Production ceased
• 2019 - Approval granted for decommissioning

Links

1. 2013 Annual Environmental Statement for Shell U.K
2. UK Oil and Gas Fields by Approval Date
3. List Of Oil Production Platforms In The UK
4. UK Oil and Gas Field Approved Decommissioning Programmes
5. KWSubsea Subsea References
6. J P Kenny Subsea References
7. Kyle Field Update
8. AMEC awarded FEED for Maersk’s Curlew FPSO
9. Curlew Decommissioning