PD TEESPORT has reinforced its role in aiding efforts to develop one of the North Sea's largest oil fields.

The company has won a contract with freight forwarder TransOceanic Projects Limited that will contribute towards the Buzzard field development by EnCana.

The deal means components will be assembled at the dock before they are shipped to Cadiz, in Spain, where they will be used to build a platform for the Buzzard site.

Buzzard is the largest oil field to be discovered in the North Sea in the past decade.

The field is estimated to hold more than 400 million barrels of oil and gas.

Three bridge-linked platforms are being assembled at different sites, including one being made by Heerema Hartlepool Limited on the dockland, which will be joined on location. They are expected to begin production in 2006.

By 2007, the field is expected to be producing up to 190,000 barrels a day.

Martyn Pellew, group development director of PD Ports, Logistics and Shipping, said: "This contract demonstrates how Hartlepool and the Tees Valley is able to win work in the oil and offshore industry."