Forties Oil Field

The Forties Oil Field is the largest oil field in the North Sea, 110 miles east of Aberdeen. It was discovered in 1970 and first produced oil in 1975 under ownership of British Petroleum, now called BP.

History

BP had made the announcement to the press on 7 October 1970, that oil had been struck 110 miles (180 km) east-northeast of Aberdeen in 350 feet (110 m) of water. Production is from the Paleocene Forties Formation sandstones over a 90 km² area making it a "giant oil field". BP's semi-submersible drilling rig Sea Quest hit crude oil at 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in the Upper Tertiary sandstone.

Four appraisal wells drilled during 1971–1972 revealed a large reservoir at a depth of about 7,000 feet (2,100 m) and closure of 155 m. So marked the first and largest major oil field discovery in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. Oil had previously been discovered at the Ekofisk field.

Named Forties after the sea area in which it lies, the field began producing oil in September 1975 and was officially inaugurated by Her Majesty on 3 November 1975.