Abstract The Solan Field is a Jurassic reservoired oil accumulation located in Block 205/26a in the East Solan Basin, West of Shetland. The field was discovered in 1991 by the 205/26a-4 well which encountered oil in the Kimmeridgian to Early Volgian age Solan Sandstone and appraised between 1992 and 2009 by four wells and four sidetracks. Premier Oil farmed into Licence P.164 in 2011 and became operator. The reservoir, which is up to 100 ft thick, is a basin-floor turbidite sequence and is informally subdivided into a thick and good quality Upper Solan sandstone unit and a thinner, poorer quality, Lower Solan sandstone unit, separated by the laterally extensive Middle Solan unit. Whilst the reservoir sandstones are relatively clean (texturally and compositionally mature) and laterally extensive, sub-seismic structural and stratigraphic complexity resulted in a challenging field development. The field development to date comprises four subsea wells (two oil producers and two water injectors) tied back to a small jacket and topsides with an innovative subsea oil storage tank. Oil export is via shuttle tanker. First oil was achieved in April 2016. The field oil in place volume is in the range of 55–85 MMbbl.

Abstract The West of Shetland area has scope for the stratigraphic entrapment of hydrocarbons at various Jurassic to Palaeogene stratigraphic levels. Mapping and identification of such traps requires a fundamental understanding of the regional geology, the study of analogues and source kitchens, and a thorough approach to trap validation. Since 1982, 47 exploration wells have been positioned on Paleocene prospects with a significant stratigraphic component, but few have found hydrocarbons — many failing as a result of poor trap definition and overconfidence in the predictive use of amplitude anomalies. Hydrocarbon sourcing of many of the failed prospects was also poorly constrained. Few amplitude-related stratigraphic features could be tied with confidence to a viable source kitchen. The presence of a regional seal is a prerequisite ingredient for a successful Paleocene play. Many remaining undrilled, subtle prospects rely on a stratigraphic trapping component, and high-quality 3D seismic data are seen as an essential search tool. Examples of undrilled prospects are presented from the Paleocene of the northern Faroe-Shetland Basin and the Mesozoic of the East Solan Basin and Corona Ridge.

Abstract This paper analyses the statistics of existing United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) fields and discoveries as a means of assessing which plays are likely to contain the greatest untapped potential for stratigraphic traps. Current Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) estimates put the maximum discovered ultimate recovery of the UK at 50 billion (× 10 9 ) barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE); estimated technically recoverable undiscovered resources are between 4.1 to 21.3 BBOE, based on a prospect mapping approach. As of end 2003, 82% of the oil and gas fields and discoveries on the UKCS have been found in structural traps; 12% have been found in combination structural/stratigraphic traps and only 6% in stratigraphic traps. The majority of stratigraphic traps and combination traps occur in association with syn-rift (Upper Jurassic) and post-rift deep-water plays. There has been relatively little direct exploration for stratigraphic traps until recently, and a number of the major discoveries in stratigraphic traps were found by chance. Few substantial untested structural traps remain in the UK North Sea except at considerable depth with associated risks. We estimate that perhaps 50% of the UKCS undiscovered resources are located in stratigraphic or combination traps, principally within syn- and post-rift deep-water sandstone plays.