Statoil has on behalf of the Mariner co-venturers awarded the contract for integrated drilling and well services on the Mariner Field on the U.K. Continental Shelf (UKCS) to Schlumberger Oilfield UK Plc.

From its Aberdeen base, Schlumberger will deliver all the main drilling and well services for Mariner, including drilling, completion, electrical submersible pumps (ESPs), cement and fluids.

A total of 22 drilling and well services are included in the scope, including a logistics support responsibility that goes beyond the normal scope for similar Statoil contracts.

The contract will commence in January 2015 and has a duration of four years, plus options for several additional four-year periods.

The Mariner Field, located about 150 km (93 miles) east of the Shetland Isles, is currently under development by operator Statoil and its co-venturers JX Nippon and Dyas.

Mariner is the largest field development on the UKCS in more than a decade and will be in production for at least 30 years. Drilling is planned to start in 2016 with production startup following in 2017.

The main Mariner platform will have one drilling rig and one well intervention and completion unit. In addition, a newbuild jackup rig will be located next to the Mariner installation, working through well slots

The contract with Schlumberger also includes options for Bressay, another Statoil-operated field on the UKCS, currently in the concept evaluation phase. Furthermore, it also will work as a framework agreement for exploration drilling on UKCS where Statoil has the option to use Schlumberger for any of the drilling and well services covered by the scope of the contract.