Oil company Taqa said yesterday the shutdown this year of its North Sea Cormorant Alpha platform wiped 7% off its total UK output during the first nine months of 2013.
The installation resumed full production on August 24, ending a lengthy shutdown for repairs.
Cormorant Alpha was at the centre of two hydrocarbon leaks earlier this year.
It was shut down around the middle of January, losing the Abu Dhabi-based operator up to 10,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
In results yesterday, Taqa said: “The shut-in at Cormorant Alpha depressed the overall results of the business.
“The teams worked hard to safely repair the facility as quickly as possible, with limited production restarting in June.
“Since August, Cormorant Alpha has been producing at high levels, resulting in a Q3 on Q2 increase in production of 23%.”
The firm added: “Performance in the UK was supported by continuing high Brent prices, with an average net realised price of $110.40
“Central UK North Sea oil and gas assets, acquired at the beginning of the year and successfully integrated on June 28, continue to perform well.”
Peter Jones, managing director of TAQA in the UK, said: “While we have faced some challenging situations earlier this year, our teams have worked extremely hard to restore full operational output.
“Our UK business is currently producing at record levels.
“Another key achievement during the period was the successful integration of the Harding, Morrone and Maclure fields, which we bought from BP in the Central North Sea.
“These assets are now fully integrated and are performing well, making a significant contribution.”
UK production for the nine months to September 30 totalled 39,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 42,600 a year earlier.
Total group revenue was down by 9% at £3.16billion, while pre-tax profits slumped by 65% to £189million.