Rosebank oil field successful

A second appraisal well has been successful at the Rosebank oil field, north-west of the Shetland Islands, tests showed a flow of 6,000 barrels of oil a day. The American oil giant, Statoil, is said to be very encouraged by the test results, the company has a 30% interest in the find. 

A spokesperson for Statoil said that every attempt to commercialise the discovery as soon as possible as this will significantly enhance Statoil’s Atlantic Margin production.

The well was drilled to a depth of 2,750 metres and light oil with a gravity of 38 degrees was discovered - far lighter than the oil produced from the nearby Schiehallion and Clair fields. The Rosebank field, which is near to the UK-Faroes median line, is 100 miles north-west of Shetland in 1,100 metres of water.

A third appraisal is being prepared by The Transocean Rather drilling rig which is targeting the overlying Rosebank and Lochnagar reservoirs. The cost of the drilling programme is £160 million and completion is anticipated by November.

If the third well finds commercially viable quantities of oil, the options for production include the building of a stand-alone platform, the installation of a floating production vessel and a subsea tieback.