Offshore staff
SYDNEY, Australia – The final phase is under way of the WZ6-12 and WZ12-8 West oil field development areas in the Beibu Gulf offshore China. CNOOC-Zhanjiang is the operator.
Earlier this week, the COOEC’s heavy-lift vesselLanjing lifted the project’s first module support frame onto the new processing, utility and quarters (PUQB) platform jacket, adjacent to the CNOOC WZ12-1 platforms. The PUQB is jointly shared with other CNOOC-Zhanjiang owned and operated areas.
Hook-up and commissioning will start on completion of the final lift. First Beibu field production is anticipated early next year.
Drilling of the 10 development wells has started using theHYSY 931 jackup, located over the WZ6-12 wellhead platform. According to ROC, the plan is to complete and tie-in the A6 discovery well drilled through the platform during the recent exploration campaign. Viability of the A7 well is under evaluation.
Planning is also under way for further development drilling from the WZ 6-12 structure to accommodate the discovery of additional pay zones in theWZ 6-12N-1 exploration well.
The project’s two new unmanned wellhead platforms, WZ6-12 and WZ12-8 West, and the PUQB jacket and topsides, were all built at COOEC’s Tanggu fabrication yard in northern China.
Following sea transport to the development area (about 3,300 km, or 2,050 mi), the three jacket structures and the WHP topsides were piled and lifted into place by COOEC vessels.
Offshore commissioning of the WZ12-8 West platform is now complete, and WZ6-12 HUC is expected to be completed within a month.
The inter-field pipeline system comprising two 9.6-km (6-mi) long 12 x 18-in. insulated oil pipelines has been installed, hydro-tested, and tied-in. Work will be finished following the final PUQB topside tie-in.
Production from the WZ6-12 and WZ12-8 West fields will head through a three-phase flow pipeline to the PUQB at CNOOC’s WZ12-1 producing/pipeline platforms complex.
On arrival, oil, gas, and water will be separated and the oil exported ashore via the existing CNOOC-Zhanjiang WZ12-1 production and pipeline facilities.
Beibu oil will be stored at facilities on Weizhou Island prior to transport to market and the gas sent through the CNNOC transportation system. Waste water will be re-injected into existing water injection wells.
11/21/2012
