Drilling starts at Loyal oil field west of Shetland

Drilling has started on the Loyal field, marking the start of a seven-year drilling campaign west of Shetland.

The new-build semi-submersible Deepsea Aberdeen will initially drill two producer wells and one injector well on Loyal before moving on to the Schiehallion field to continue drilling activities

Deepsea Aberdeen is contracted to drill wells across the Schiehallion and Loyal fields as part of the Quad 204 development.

BP and Shell share ownership of Loyal while the Schiehallion field ownership interest is split between BP, OMV and Shell.

Trevor Garlick, regional president for BP’s North Sea business, said: “This marks an exciting and important milestone for both the Quad 204 project and our wider North Sea business.

“The drilling campaign not only demonstrates our commitment to the region in what is a challenging time but will also help maximise production from Schiehallion and Loyal, contributing to the long-term competitiveness of BP’s North Sea business.”