The steel jacket of the Ivar Aasen platform was lifted in place early this morning (June 10, 2015), and is now ready to be completed with the platform deck, which is under production on the SMOE yard in Singapore.

The SSCV Thialf lifted the steel jacket slowly down to the seabed at 112 meters depth. Olav Henriksen, SVP Projects in Det norske, is proud to see the first visible signs of the Ivar Aasen platform offshore.

He said: “This is a milestone for Det norske, and for the Ivar Aasen project. The steel jacket is of top quality, delivered on time and on cost. We would like to thank Saipem for their excellent work in both fabricating and also installing it.”

In total, the jacket is 137 meters in length and has a net weight of 8.900 tons. Soon, the pre-drilling over the top of the jacket will begin with the Maersk Interceptor. Next year, the topside will be installed on top of the jacket.

The Ivar Aasen field is located on the Utsira High in the North Sea, and is expected to reach peak production of about 75 000 barrels oil equivalents per day. The field has an anticipated economic life of 20 years, and Det norske’s share is 34.8 per cent.

First oil is expected in the fourth quarter 2016.