Equinor has extended its charter of accommodation unit Floatel Endurance that is deployed at its Martin Linge field off Norway as development work has stalled on the project due to the coronavirus crisis.

The contract with Floatel International for the semi-submersible unit has now been extended until the end of January 2021, with options for further extensions, the Swedish contractor said on Wednesday.

This would appear to indicate that start-up of the North Sea field has now been further delayed at least until early next year from the previous reported schedule of the third quarter of 2020.

However, an Equinor spokesman informed Upstream there was no further update on the project after the state-controlled operator earlier confirmed development work had been halted.

Covid-19 affect

It follows downmanning of the Martin Linge platform after the first confirmed case of the Covid-19 virus was uncovered on the facility, with most of the 776 workers on board airlifted back to shore and only a skeleton crew of about 70 remaining to maintain equipment and run support systems.

The infected worker was subsequently quarantined at home after also being flown back to shore, with several other workers were quarantined on board as a precautionary measure, though there have been no other reported cases on the facility.

The field project was already heavily delayed due to a series of engineering and topsides fabrication issues with the platform at South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries, as well as a fatal crane accident at the yard, and progress has been further stymied by quarantine rules and travel restrictions for workers due to the pandemic.

However, the latest extension will provide welcome additional work for Floatel that has been struggling with fleet utilisation that has hit revenue.

Coronavirus

Charter extension for Martin Linge flotel off Norway