OMV New Zealand informed that the Maari oil field, off Taranaki coast, is set to resume production this week.

The company stopped production in late November last year as a precaution, following discovery of a crack in one of the wellhead platform’s 12 horizontal struts during a scheduled inspection.

As an intermediate solution devised by specialist advisors AMOG, three clamps were installed in December by air divers. Fitzroy Engineering and NZ Diving and Salvage were both contracted to undertake the repair.

The repair was independently verified by Lloyds, both during the design phase and post-installation.

OMV has also completed a full electromagnetic inspection of all nodes (strut and leg connections) on level 3 and undertook a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) inspection of the entire platform structure which stands in approximately 100 meters of water, the company noted.

Two options for a permanent solution are currently being investigated by AMOG and Worley Parsons. This work is expected to be completed this month and a preferred concept selected. The subsequent permanent repair will likely be completed by mid-2017.

During the interim repair period OMV resumed its planned shutdown maintenance programme that had been scheduled to start on December 05. This included completing the replacement of a water injection flowline.

Two specialist support vessels, from Maersk and DOF, were contracted for this work.

Maintenance work on the field’s production risers was also undertaken during the shutdown.

Regulatory agencies WorkSafe, Maritime New Zealand and the Environmental Protection Authority were consulted on an on-going basis throughout the work, OMV added.