UK-based oil and gas exploration and production company Dana Petroleum has completed keel laying of the floating, storage, production and offloading vessel (FPSO) for the Western Isles project in North Sea.

A new $400m oil production vessel, the Western Isles project is expected to transfer nearly 26,000 tons and produce and store up to 40,000 barrels of oil a day.

Plateau production from the field is anticipated to add more than 30,000 boepd to Dana’s UK production.

Dana along with its partner Cieco has invested $1.6bn in a nine-well development of two oil fields called Harris and Barra in the Northern North Sea.

The fields are located 160km east of the Shetlands and 12km west of the Tern field.

The scope of the project will include a subsea development of five production and four water injection wells, two exploration wells tied back to a new build FPSO with oil export using shuttle tankers.

Dana said the hull and topsides of the FPSO are being built in China, while the project has about 70% content from UK.