Karoon determines next-phase intervention for offline Baúna well offshore Brazil

Offshore staff

SOUTHBANK, Australia — Karoon Energy has issued an update on a hydrate formation issue at its Baúna development in the southern Santos Basin offshore Brazil and its planned remediation measures.

The development features 12 subsea wells (including two Patola wells bought online last year) that are connected through flowlines to the FPSO, operated by Altera&Ocyan and leased back to Karoon. 

The FPSO has capacity to handle about 80,000 bbl/d with oil storage capacity of about 631,000 bbl.

In November 2023, production was impacted by issues related to equipment in the gas-lift dehydration unit on the FPSO. This led to formation of hydrates in two wells, which have impeded production rates.

Although one of the wells was swiftly restored to production, the second has not produced since late November. Karoon and Altera&Ocyan have been working to address these issues, replacing equipment in the gas-lift dehydration unit and deploying gas stimulation of the impacted well, SPS-88, which was completed on Jan. 20.

The topside issues have been resolved, and the hydrates appear to have been removed by circulating fluids. But the SPS-88 well has still not returned to production due to what appears to be a mechanical blockage in its gas-lift valve, part of the well completion.

A well intervention will likely be needed to restore service, a program expected to take 20 days using a lightweight well intervention vessel and costing up to $10 million.

As of September 2020, Altera&Ocyan is the new name of the 50:50 joint venture (JV) formed by Brazilian company Ocyan and by Norwegian-headquartered Altera Infrastructure (formerly Teekay Offshore). The JV started operating the FPSO Cidade de Itajaí in 2013. Five years later, the JV added another unit to its fleet, the FPSO Pioneiro de Libra, which went into operation in 2017.

01.23.2024