AMEC plc, the international engineering and project management company, has been awarded a contract by Fairfield Energy to be the Duty Holder on the Dunlin cluster of oilfield production facilities located in the North Sea, nearly 200 kilometres north-east of the Shetland Isles.

The contract will run for the life of the field, which is estimated to be between 10 and 15 years. The value of the contract has not been announced.

The Dunlin cluster covers the Dunlin and Dunlin Southwest fields together with the Merlin and Osprey fields, in which Fairfield recently agreed to acquire the majority stake from Shell and Esso. The Mitsubishi Corporation will hold a 30 per cent interest in the cluster.

The facilities in the cluster include the Dunlin A platform and subsea infrastructure for the Dunlin Southwest, Merlin and Osprey fields

As Duty Holder AMEC will manage offshore production operations, which includes safety, health and environmental regulatory compliance, allowing Fairfield to concentrate on its core responsibilities as licence operator, which includes field development, drilling and wells maintenance. AMEC will take over the role in the next few weeks during which time employees from Shell, the previous operator, will have completed their transfer under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations.

"I am very excited about this opportunity to demonstrate our high value services in maintaining, improving and extending the life of mature assets ,” said John Pearson, Managing Director of AMEC’s Natural Resources business for Europe and West Africa. “Farirfield have clearly demonstrated their commitment to both Aberdeen and the future of the North Sea and as such AMEC will look to develop a long term relationship with Fairfield as they continue to become a key player in the region."

Neil Fowler, General Manager - Production, Fairfield Energy, said: "As a new operator in the North Sea we are pleased to be working innovatively and in partnership with AMEC to extend the life of the Dunlin field and achieve cost-effective recovery of hydrocarbons while ensuring the on-going employment of personnel."

Tags: AMEC plc