Oil firm Statoil has started production drilling on a major oil field in the UK North Sea.

Up to five wells will be drilled at the Mariner field and first oil is expected to be produced in 2018.

The largest jack-up rig in the world, the Noble Lloyd Noble, is currently positioned over the Mariner jacket, which was installed in 2015.

With platform topside modules set to arrive in mid-2017, Statoil said up to 100 reservoir targets could be drilled over the lifetime of the Mariner field.

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Hedda Felin, managing director, Statoil Production UK said: "This is an exciting period for us as a UKCS operator as we transition from the planning phase to active offshore operations.

"Predrilling enables production to reach plateau levels more quickly after the start of operations on Mariner A. It will also be an important learning period for us in terms of understanding the reservoir and identifying potential efficiencies for future wells, with safety and the protection of the environment being our fundamental priorities."

The Mariner field is estimated to contain over 250 million barrels of oil, with an average plateau production of around 55,000 barrels per day.

(LM)