Equinor extends Oseberg field shutdown into next week

OSLO: Production at Norway's Oseberg oil and gas field, whose crude is a part of global oil benchmark Brent, is expected to remain shut for eight days, longer than previously anticipated, the company said on Friday.

Production at the field was shut on Wednesday as a precautionary measure due to problems with fire water pumps at offshore installations, and the shutdown was expected to last for five days, the field's operator Equinor said.

The company could not immediately provide the latest production data.

The Oseberg field produced 46,000 barrels of oil and 15.5 million cubic metres of natural gas in February, the latest available data from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate showed.

The field's facilities also process oil from several adjacent fields, including Oseberg South, before exporting it to the Sture terminal onshore.

The field's gas production stood at around 17 million cubic metres (mcm) per day the same month, including Oseberg South, compared with its maximum capacity of 27 mcm per day.

Equinor has 49.3 percent of the field, while Norway's state-owned Petoro owns 33.6 percent, Total 14.7 percent and ConocoPhillips 2.4 percent.