Dana Petroleum has successfully pumped first oil from its Western Isles development in the U.K. North Sea, the company said on Nov. 21.

Western Isles (Dana 77% and Cieco 23%) is now producing from the Harris and Barra oil fields in the northern North Sea, 160 km (99 miles) east of the Shetlands and 12 km (7 miles) west of the Tern Field.

With an investment of approximately $2 billion by the project partners, Western Isles is Dana’s largest project. The Western Isles development is expected to produce up to 44,000 barrels (bbl) of oil equivalent a day when fully on production, adding over 30,000 net bbl to Dana’s daily production.

The Western Isles development consists of production and water injection wells tied back to a new build FPSO with oil export using shuttle tankers. The cylindrical FPSO measures nearly 90 m (295 ft) at its widest and weighs over 28,000 tonnes, with the capacity to produce 44,000 bbl of oil a day and store 400,000 bbl in its tanks.

“The first oil milestone from the Western Isles development is positive news and helps confirm the remaining potential of the U.K. Continental Shelf,” Brenda Wyllie, Oil and Gas Authority’s northern North Sea manager, said.

Offshore