Statoil delays production at Mariner oil field

Production at Mariner had been due to start in 2017

North Sea oil firm Statoil has announced it is delaying the start-up of the massive Mariner oil field.

The Norwegian company has postponed production by a year, to the second half of 2018.

It blamed delays at its construction yards in South Korea, adding that the move was not linked to the current North Sea downturn.

The Mariner field lies about 93 miles (150km) east of Shetland.

According to Statoil, Mariner is the largest field development on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) in more than a decade, and will be in production for at least 30 years.

Statoil said the delay in starting production would not impact on jobs - although some recruitment for the £4.6bn ($7bn) project will now be staggered.

The firm insisted it was still "fully committed" to the North Sea.

Meanwhile, petrochemicals giant Ineos has moved to boost its presence in the North Sea by increasing its stake in a gas field.

The company said it had bought a 25% share in the Clipper South field from Fairfield Energy Holdings.

The move follows Ineos' recent acquisition of 50% of Clipper South from DEA Group.

Ineos now owns 75% of the Clipper South gas field

That deal included other assets, including the Breagh field. Ineos now owns 75% of Clipper South, with Bayerngas holding a 25% stake.

Clipper South is located off the east coast of England, about 62 miles (100km) from the Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal.

Ineos, which operates Scotland's largest petrochemical manufacturing complex at Grangemouth, said the acquisition of the gas fields presented "a great entry point" for its upstream business.

It added that they should make "a significant contribution" to its European energy and feedstock strategy.

Ineos Upstream chairman Rob Nevin said: "We are very pleased to have been able to acquire this additional share in the Clipper South Gas Field from Fairfield Energy, which is another step forward as we continue to pursue opportunities in the North Sea."

In a separate development, Aberdeen-based EnQuest said it had produced its first oil from the Alma/Galia development in the central North Sea.

EnQuest's 65% working interest in the field was estimated at the start of this year to amount to about 26m barrels.

Alma, which was formerly known as Argyll, was the first commercially-produced oil field in the UK Continental Shelf.

It is located about 192 miles (310km) south-east of Aberdeen.

EnQuest chief executive Amjad Bseisu said: "We are pleased to confirm first oil from Alma/Galia.

"A further summary will be provided in EnQuest's next operations update. We will continue to open up additional wells, with full production rates expected from early 2016."