In May 2008 oil production re-commenced from Maersk Oil’s Janice facility in the UK North Sea after an extended period of repair work and upgrading of the facility. Maersk Oil has since then closely monitored the operational and safety performance of the Janice facility.

At the same time, Maersk Oil has been preparing for the tie-in of the Affleck Field to Janice, which involves work on Janice itself. In addition, due to the current lack of available diving support vessels for the planned Affleck Field tie-in work, diving activity is also planned to be carried out from the Janice facility.

Based on the operational performance and the contemplated Affleck work, Maersk Oil has decided that further improvements on Janice are required and that the Janice production shall be closed in while this activity is ongoing.

Managing Director of Maersk Oil North Sea UK, Kurt Normann Nielsen said, "During the production shutdown, Maersk Oil's priority will be to improve Janice operating procedures, crew competencies and training, as well as completing further facility improvements and outstanding maintenance work."

The Janice shutdown is expected to have a total duration of 2-6 months, the exact time dependent, among others, on weather conditions permitting offshore work.

1 October 2008
Maersk Oil