Editor's note: This Global E&P section first appeared in the March-April 2024 issue of Offshore magazine. Click here to view the full issue.
By Jeremy Beckman, London
GULF OF MEXICO
TechnipFMC will supply the first subsea tree systems qualified by Shell for 20,000 psi (1,379 bar) applications for the deepwater Sparta field development. The contract scope includes the umbilicals, risers and flowlines. Shell has also formed Oceanus Pipeline Company, a joint venture with Enbridge, to develop and construct Sparta’s offshore oil and gas export lines, respectively 60 mi (96 km) and 15 mi (24 km) long. Both should start service in 2028.
In the Norphlet Corridor of Mississippi Canyon, 75 mi (121 km) offshore Louisiana, Shell has brought onstream the 38-MMboe Rydberg field via a subsea tieback to the Appomattox production hub. The wells, in 7,450 ft (2,271 m) of water, produce through an insulated 12-mi (19-km) flowline and are controlled via a dynamic umbilical.
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Esperanza Capital Partners and Andros Capital Partners have formed a joint venture to acquire and develop upstream assets in the GoM. Their first acquisition is ExxonMobil’s interests in the Ursa and Princess fields: the package related to Ursa, in six deepwater blocks 130 mi (209 km) south-east of New Orleans, includes net production of 8,500 boe/d and part-ownership of the Shell-operated Ursa TLP.
SOUTH AMERICA
Challenger Energy has agreed to farm out a 60% operated interest to Chevron in the AREA OFF-1 exploration block offshore Uruguay. Challenger will retain a 40% stake, with Chevron covering the company for its share of costs related to a 3D seismic survey, up to $15 million. Assuming regulatory approvals, Challenger will adopt the same strategy for its newly confirmed AREA-3 offshore license, which runs from June 7 this year through June 6, 2028. The license contains two previously identified prospects that could hold large volumes of oil and gas: Challenger plans to attract a larger partner through further studies and working up new prospects.
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Heerema’s Aegir vessel completed installation earlier this year of the 1,500-t topside for TotalEnergies’ Fenix gas platform in 70 m (229 ft) water depth in the CMA-1 concession, 60 km (37 mi) offshore southern Argentina. The platform, built by Rosetti Marino in Italy is designed for remote operation from the shore without the need for a full-time crew. Following drilling of the three production wells, the field should deliver first gas in November,
WEST AFRICA
Eni has pulled off its second large oil and gas discovery in deepwater off Côte d’Ivoire. The Murene 1X well on the Calao prospect in Block CI-205, drilled by the Saipem-managed Deep Value Driller in 2,220 m (7,218 ft) of water, encountered hydrocarbons in the Cenomanian with estimated combined resources of 1-1.5 Bboe.
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Shell Nigeria (SNEPCO) is seeking to extend the life of the Bonga FPSO offshore Nigeria by a further 15 years. The platform, which started service in 2005, was the country’s first deepwater development and recently produced its one-billionth barrel of oil from the Bonga field. Further tied-in volumes from other nearby accumulations should go onstream later this year. Other deepwater development opportunities Shell has identified include Bonga North, Bonga South-West and Nnwa Doro.
In the PML2 license, 135 km (84 mi) off Nigeria, TotalEnergies has started production from Akpo West through a subsea tieback to the Akpo FPSO. By 2028, the field should send 4,000 b/d of condensate and up to 4 MMcm/d of gas to the facility, which produced around 124,000 boe/d last year.
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Perenco Rio del Rey is using a purpose-built barge for the first development drilling program since 1984 on the Keta field in the northern Rio del Rey basin offshore Cameroon. The company and its services subsidiary designed and built the vessel to operate in the region’s ultra-shallow waters (4 m/13 ft deep) and strong currents: the present five-well campaign should help maintain production for decades, Perenco said.
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TotalEnergies will assume operatorship of Block 3B/4B in the Orange basin, 200 km (124 mi) offshore the west coast of South Africa, pending regulatory and other approvals. The company and partner QatarEnergy will acquire 33% and 24% interests respectively under a deal with existing co-venturers Africa Oil, Ricocure and Azinam. The deepwater block, which contains numerous deepwater prospects, is adjacent to the TotalEnergies-operated DWOB license and south-east of its Venus oil discovery off Namibia.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Energean has produced first gas from Karish North, a subsea tieback to the Energean Power FPSO offshore Israel. A newly installed second gas export riser has improved the platform’s gas handling capacity from the four currently connected production wells.
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The Shell/EGPC joint venture Burullus Gas Company has commissioned drilling and tie-ins of three new wells for the West Delta Deep Marine Phase X development offshore Egypt. Deeptech and the Petroleum Marine Services Company are jointly managing the installation and inspection program for the Sapsat-3, Sepia-1 and Seagull West-1 wells in water depths of 430-700 m (1,411-2,296 ft), all of which will be connected to existing subsea infrastructure.
BP and ADNOC are forming a new E&P venture in Egypt, with the two companies owning respectively 51% and 49% shares. The offshore concessions involved in the arrangement include North Damietta and North El Burg, both containing producing fields and both operated by the BP/EGAS joint venture Pharaonic Petroleum Company.
CASPIAN SEA/MIDDLE EAST
Caspian Geo LLC is acquiring a new 4-D high definition ocean bottom node seismic survey over the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gubashli (ACG) field offshore Azerbaijan. The $370-million campaign, which runs through 2028, is focused on the Balakhany and Fasila reservoirs and will cover a 740-sq km (286-sq mi) area under sources and 507 sq km (196 sq mi) under receivers, deployed from the Murovdag and Guba vessels. ACG operator bp aims to use the results to improve reserves recovery over the coming decades.
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QatarEnergy has awarded EPCI contracts to four consortia for the next-phase development of Al-Shaheen, Qatar’s largest offshore oilfield. Project Ru’ya will develop more than 500 MMbbl over five years and raise overall production from the field by around 100,000 b/d. It will involve drilling of more than 200 wells and the addition of a new centralized process platform complex, nine remotely controlled wellhead platforms and associated subsea pipelines.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Petrobangla has opened the 2024 Bangladesh Offshore Bid Round, comprising 15 deepwater and nine shallow-water blocks. According to TGS, which acquired and processed 12,636 km (7,851 mi) of 2D seismic over the blocks with SLB, the under-explored deepwater Bengal Fan provides clear evidence of working petroleum systems.
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TotalEnergies expects to complete a $903-million deal for OMV’s 50% stake in Kuala Lumpur-based gas producer SapuraOMV Upstream by the end of June. SapuraOMV operates Blocks SK408 and SK310 offshore Sarawak and had operated gas production last year of around 500 MMcf/d, all exported to Petronas’ Bintulu liquefaction complex. It is currently completing development of the Jerun gas field in Block SK408: the company, a joint venture with Sapura Energy, also has exploration permits in Australia and New Zealand.
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Jadestone Energy and PetroVietnam Gas have signed a Heads of Agreement for the shallow-water Nam Du and U Minh gasfield developments in Blocks 46/07 and 51 offshore south-west Vietnam. The fields contain an estimated 171 bcf of gas and 1.6 MMbbl of liquids: current plans call for two 100MMcf/d, minimal facility unmanned wellhead platforms, each with two production wells and connected to a leased gas-processing FPSO on Nam Du. Condensate would be exported from U Minh to shuttle tankers.
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CNOOC has discovered an estimated 104 MMtoe of oil in the shallow-water Qinhuangdao 27-3 field in the north-central Bohai Sea, offshore eastern China. The main oil-bearing play is the Minghuazhen Neogene formation. It follows a light oil/gas discovery earlier in the year containing similar volumes in the Kaiping South prospect in the eastern South China in 500 m (1,640 ft) water depth. The KP18-1-1d well found light oil in three formations and flowed 7,680 b/d on test.
In the Liaodong Bay area of the Bohai Sea, the company has started production from its Suizhong 36-1/Luda 5-2 oilfield secondary adjustment and development project. Main facilities comprise two central processing platforms and two wellhead platforms, with 81 production wells and 37 wells to be drilled. CNOOC expects to attain peak production of 30,300 b/d in 2025.
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Conrad Asia Energy has an MoU with Pertamina subsidiary PT Perusahaan Gas Negara to investigate options for commercializing gas resources in two Indonesian offshore concessions. They initially plan to focus on four shallow-water discoveries in the Offshore North West Aceh (Meulaboh) and Offshore South West Aceh (Singkil) PSCs, potentially putting in small-scale LNG infrastructure. Conrad also expects to acquire new 3D seismic to improve definition of proven and potential new prospects.
