More contracts for Johan Sverdrup oil field

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- An oilfield services company in Thailand said it's the latest in the line of those receiving contracts for Norway's giant offshore Johan Sverdrup field.

Norwegian energy services company Aibel awarded contract work to Thailand's IKM Testing to support operations at a shipyard where construction for platforms for the field are underway.

"We are very proud to be a part of this complex project and appreciate the trust they show us by the award of this contract," General Manager William Tan said in a statement.

Work on three components of the offshore infrastructure starts in late 2018. Support services from IKM Testing will last four months starting in January.

Contracts worth more than $5.7 billion have been awarded for the project so far, with more than 70 percent of them going to Norwegian companies. Aibel is building many of those components at a shipyard in Thailand.

The Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway found few issues with Statoil's procurement processes and the fabrication of parts of the infrastructure that will be used for production from the Johan Sverdrup field.

Developed over a series of phases, operator Statoil said the Johan Sverdrup oil field should account for up to 25 percent of total Norwegian petroleum production once at peak capacity.

Platform components built in Thailand will be handed over to Statoil in the second quarter of 2018.