Resurgent oil giant BP set itself a target back in July of raising $30bn in asset sales by the end of 2011 and is already two thirds of the way to that total, with assets in the North Sea said to be next to go on the chopping block.News agency reports quoting an unnamed company insider suggest that BP may offload some fields and infrastructure in the North Sea, raising as much as $1bn in the process.The assets are reportedly being touted to a number of utilities and oil companies. The mature nature of many of BP's assets in the North Sea make them likely candidates for disposal.The British company's asset sale programme has been triggered by the need to cover the costs related to the Macondo well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. A spokesman for BP declined to comment directly on the rumours, but did note that "the North Sea remains a hugely important part of BP globally, and we intend to sustain a significant business here for the long term." The company has a multi-billion pound investment programme over the next few years, centred on four major new field development projects in the UK and two in Norway, the spokesman added.