London — The Buzzard oil field in the UK North Sea contributed 15% of the output of Forties Blend crude in the seven days to Sunday, Forties pipeline operator Ineos said Wednesday.
That was down from 34% a week earlier, and from a 2018 high of 51% in the week ending August 5. The Buzzard contribution to Forties typically stands around 30%-40% and the lower proportion was attributed to scheduled maintenance at the Buzzard field.
Bar December 2017 when the Forties Pipeline System went under force majeure, last week was the slimmest share of Forties since October 2016 when Buzzard's contribution to the Forties Blend was interrupted for several weeks.
Based on the content of the sour stream Buzzard, the sulfur content of Forties Blend fell to 0.48% from about 0.75%, while the API gravity rose to 41.7, from about 39 the previous week, according to an Ineos conversion table.
Overall, Forties Blend unstabilized crude output was expected to average 385,100 b/d in September, 424,800 b/d in October, 429,000 b/d in November and 425,400 b/d in December.
Buzzard's share of Forties was expected to be 29.3% in September, 32.8% in October, 32.1% in November and 32.2% in December.
The Buzzard field is the largest single contributor to Forties Blend, one of the five grades included in the Dated Brent pricing basket.
