Old friends and ex-colleagues recently reunited to commemorate the closure of an iconic North Sea installation, the Murchison platform, after 34 years of production.
The event, held at Aberdeen’s Maritime Museum, welcomed Murchison old-timers from all decades under different operators.
The gathering gave attendees the opportunity to share a wealth of memories and experiences from their time onboard the platform.
Current operators CNR International (CNRI) ceased production on the platform on February 28, 2014, in an emotional ceremony, performed onboard the installation’s control room and watched by senior management back in Aberdeen, via video link.
The recent event saw attendees gather around a 25ft model of the Murchison platform, which rises up over four floors of the museum, and featured a series of speeches, presentations, and screening of movies recovered from the archives.
The platform – considered a giant of the global energy sector, with some of the largest jacket and topsides in the UK Continental Shelf – has now entered its decommissioning phase.
Cessation of Murchison production is a major milestone, not only for CNRI but for the whole of the UK North sea sector, as the platform was instrumental in the outstanding success achieved by the industry, contributing a great deal to the UK economy over 34 years, well beyond its original expected lifetime.
CNRI’s James Edens, vice president and managing director, commented: “This was a fantastic event for old and new generations to mark the end of an era.
“Workers recounted fond memories of time spent on the Murchison. The platform was widely known for its excellent working atmosphere and tremendous camaraderie amongst all the staff on-board.
“The evening was not about CNR International, but rather the 34 magnificent years of a North Sea platform and a celebration of the fantastic people who worked onboard the installation.”
The field, discovered in July 1975, lies approximately 190km north-east of the Shetland Islands. At the height of its production, peak oil of 150,383 bopd was achieved on December 26, 1982.
Over its life, the Murchison field has produced around 400million barrels, representing a recovery factor of over 50%.
CNRI became operator of Murchison in 2002, implementing an intensive and comprehensive programme of asset integrity management, reservoir management, well repair and infill drilling, which saw the company extend the life of the field by 10 years, delivering in excess of 22million barrels during this period.