Sources suggested that work on Dorado, which had been destined for a tie-back to the Marlin platform later this year, has been put on indefinite hold until the weight quandary has been solved.

The three-well Dorado subsea tie-back had been set for an early debut, with BP and its partners working jointly with Technip on the system design.

Dorado in Viosca Knoll block 915 was to be connected to the facility, also in block 915, via a 5.6-kilometre