Located 160 km NE of the Shetland Islands in the East Shetland Basin, the Dunlin Cluster comprises four produced fields, Dunlin, Dunlin SW, Osprey and Merlin, in addition to some near-field satellite discoveries, Skye and Block 6.

Dunlin was discovered in July 1973 and production began in August 1978. The field was developed using a concrete gravity-base platform, Dunlin Alpha, which also served as the production facility for the rest of the Dunlin Cluster. Osprey was discovered in 1974 but not tied-in until January 1991. Dunlin SW was discovered in 1973 but not brought onto production until 1996. Merlin was discovered in February 1997 and tied-in later that same year.

Fairfield Energy acquired the Dunlin Cluster in 2008, and a programme of investment and facilities improvements, primarily in fuel gas infrastructure and power generation, sought to boost water-injection rates and bolster production, thereby extending the life of the asset. Ultimately, the Dunlin Cluster ceased production on 15 June 2015 after having maximized economic hydrocarbon recovery. The total Dunlin Cluster production exceeded 500 MMbbl of oil (Dunlin and Dunlin SW, 395 MMbbl oil; Osprey, 92 MMbbl oil; and Merlin, 27 MMbbl oil).