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Monday, 01 December, 2008, 22:50 GMT | more >>

Output shut in as Nicholas loses puff



By Upstream staff 

More than 200,000 barrels per day of oil and gas production remained shut in as Tropical Cyclone Nicholas weakened off north-west Australia today.

Major North-West Shelf players BHP Billiton and Woodside Petroleum told Upstream Online that assets off the Pilbara coast, in the north-west of Western Australia would remain shut until sea and weather conditions improve.

Meanwhile, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said Nicholas was rapidly losing potency but warned gale-force winds were still expected around Coral Bay and further down the coast.

"Our latest satellite data shows the cyclone is weakening considerably and it has been downgraded to a Category 1," forecaster Rabi Rivett said.

Output totalling about 220,000 bpd was shut in over the weekend after operators, including Woodside, Apache, BHP Billiton and AED Oil, shut their offshore operations as Cyclone Nicholas moved down the Western Australia coast.

Woodside’s output at Enfield averaged 30,000 bpd at the end of December while the North West Shelf venture’s Cossack Pioneer vessel produced an average of 74,000 bpd in the December quarter.

“Cossack and Enfield remain shut in and will resume production once the sea and weather conditions permit,” a spokeswoman for Woodside said.

BHP said on Sunday that it had suspended operations at the Stybarrow and Griffin fields.

Stybarrow, in which Woodside has a 50% stake, started production in November and reached 80,000 bpd in December. Griffin produces about 8000 bpd, as well as some associated gas.

“Both Griffin and Stybarrow remain disconnected – Griffin is on its way back to its station and Stybarrow is already back,” a spokeswoman for BHP said.

Earlier in the week Apache halted production at the Stag and Legendre fields, while AED Oil shut in flows from Puffin.

Santos' Mutineer-Exeter field, which is also in the cyclone's path, is already shut in for maintenance.


Wednesday, 20 February, 2008, 04:58 GMT  | last updated: Wednesday, 20 February, 2008, 07:54 GMT

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