RE: Mecropress covering today too8 Dec 2025 11:28
"The Aoka Mizu’s departure from the North Sea is part of a wider trend that has seen other drilling rigs and production vessels leave the UK for Norwegian waters, or head to regions like the Middle East as Britain winds down its offshore oil and gas industry. The vessel in question has worked in the British North Sea for almost two decades.
Hugo Heerema, chief executive of Bluewater, the Dutch offshore operator that owns the Aoka Mizu, said the ship had been producing oil in the UK’s North Sea since 2009. It worked first on the Ettrick field off Aberdeen and then on the Lancaster Field off Shetland.
Mr Heerema said: “The vessel is slated for Navitas’ Sea Lion development[...] Depending on Navitas go-ahead, it may leave the Lancaster site in mid-2026.”