Wintershall Noordzee has started gas production from the Sillimanite field on the UK/Dutch median line in the southern North Sea, around 200 km (124 mi) from the coast of Den Helder.
For the second time the company recycled the topsides originally built for the P14-A platform in the Dutch sector, which it had subsequently reconditioned for the E18-A platform (now decommissioned).
The latest development took 16 months to complete from project sanction. Wintershall Noordzee now plans to turn its attentions to the Rembrandt/Vermeer oilfield developments in the Dutch sector.
Vermeer will feature an integrated wellhead, process, utility and living quarters platform over a subsea storage tank, offloading production to shuttle tankers, while Rembrandt will produce through a normally unmanned wellhead platform.