Murlach field, formerly known as the Skua field, is an offshore oil field development situated in the North Sea, UK.
The partners in the field include BP Exploration Operating Company (BPEOC), a subsidiary of BP, with an 80% stake while NEO Energy retains the remaining 20% interest.
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The field was originally operated by Shell under the name Skua, from 2001 until its decommissioning in late 2004.
The Murlach field redevelopment project’s environmental statement was submitted to the UK authorities in April 2022.
The project has received approval from the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning and the North Sea Transition Authority.
The commencement of the installation of subsea facilities and initial drilling operations at the Murlach field is earmarked for 2024, with the first oil extraction expected by June 2025.
The field’s estimated operational lifespan is estimated to be 11 years.
Project location
The Murlach oil field is positioned within the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) Block 22/24h of the central North Sea, approximately 203km east of the Aberdeenshire coastline in Scotland.
The field lies around 27km from the UK/Norway median line at water depths ranging from 93m to 95m.
Murlach Field discovery and reservoir details
The Murlach oil field was discovered in 1986. The Murlach reservoir is part of the Heron cluster of fields, which also encompasses Heron and Egret, and is adjacent to the Marnock Field.
The reservoir is a Triassic Skagerrak reservoir made of fluvial sediments.
The estimated total recoverable volumes of oil from the Murlach Field are projected to be around 25.9 million barrels, approximately 3.4 million tonnes.
The anticipated total recoverable volumes of gas is approximately 602 million cubic metres.
Field development details
The Murlach field will be developed as a subsea tie-back via two production wells to the Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) platform.
Each well will be outfitted with a Xmas tree, and multiple tie-ins are planned.
These will include a 100m connection from the Murlach manifold to the existing 10in pipe-in-pipe ex-Heron production flowline.
A 150m connection from the existing subsea wash water flowline system to the Murlach manifold is also planned.
Furthermore, a 500m umbilical will link the existing Seagull umbilical to the Murlach manifold.
Additional tie-ins between the Murlach manifold and the two Murlach wells will consist of various spools and umbilicals to facilitate production, gas lift, and wash water operations.
Specifically, the project will install approximately 40m of production spool, 40m of gas lift spool, and 40m of wash water spool from the manifold to each well.
A 50m control umbilical will connect the manifold to each well, ensuring effective control and monitoring of the operations.
The project will also entail the installation of a gas lift flowline extending roughly 7km from the ETAP platform to the newly constructed Murlach manifold.
The manifold will measure 20m in length, 10m in width, and 5m in height and act as the central hub for the new infrastructure.
ETAP processing facility details
The ETAP platform, which commenced operations in July 1998, is expected to continue production into the 2030s.
Murlach production fluids will be conveyed to the ETAP platform while wash water and lift gas will be supplied to the Murlach wells from the ETAP platform.
The ETAP processing facility is a fixed manned installation located in UKCS Block 22/24a over the Marnock field, approximately 207km east of the Aberdeenshire coastline, Scotland, and around 35km from the UK/Norway median line.
The ETAP platform operates with a 100% produced water (PW) reinjection system, ensuring zero discharge of PW into the sea.
The additional inputs from Murlach will not exceed the capacity of the existing PW reinjection system on the ETAP platform.
Contractors involved
Subsea engineering services company, Subsea7 secured a significant contract in July 2024 from BP through the Subsea Integration Alliance for the Murlach development.
The contract encompasses the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of subsea pipelines and production systems.
Murlach will implement the first SLB OneSubsea’s, standard, configurable vertical monobore tree systems in the UK North Sea. Subsea7 will deliver two vertical monobore trees, including a two-slot manifold and associated topside controls.
The company will also install 8km of rigid flowline and two flexible jumpers, along with the requisite subsea infrastructure.
Fugro, a geo-data company was contracted to conduct an environmental survey at the Murlach field.
Wood, an engineering and technical services provider was awarded a contract in January 2024 to deliver topside modifications for the project.
The company will deliver engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning services to enhance the central processing facility of the ETAP production hub in preparation for the tie in.
Wood had also previously delivered the pre-front end engineering design (FEED) and FEED work on the Murlach field.
