Editor's note: This Global E&P section first appeared in the September/October issue of Offshore magazine. Click here to view the full issue.
By Jeremy Beckman, London
GULF OF MEXICO
Shell Offshore has awarded Seatrium Oil and Gas International a letter of intent to perform construction work for the planned deepwater Sparta project, 170 mi from the Louisiana coast. Sparta’s floating production unit (FPU) will feature a single topside module supported by a four-column semisubmersible hull, with Seatrium deploying its single-lift integration methodology.
Woodside has started up Shenzi North, a two-well subsea tieback to the Shenzi platform in the Green Canyon area, 195 km offshore Louisiana. The development will provide increased use of the platform’s production capacity of 100,000 b/d of oil and 50 MMcf/d of gas.
In Mississippi Canyon Block 727, Hess has found oil in a Miocene reservoir while drilling the Pickerel-1 exploration well. This will be tied back to the Tubular Bells production platform with first oil expected in mid-2024.
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BHP and partner Pemex have approval from Mexico’s regulator for the development plan for the Trion oifield in 2,500 m water depth and 30 km south of the Mexico/US maritime border. The 100,000-b/d FPU, to be constructed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, will be connected to a 950,000-bbl capacity FSO, with Transocean drilling the 24 wells and OneSubsea providing the subsea trees. The estimated cost is $7.2 billion, with first oil targeted for 2028.
SOUTH AMERICA
TotalEnergies and partner APA Corp expect to invest around $9 billion in Suriname’s first deepwater oil and gas development, encompassing their Sapakara South and Krabdagu discoveries in Block 58, in water depths ranging from 100-1,000. Estimated resources are close to 700 MMbbl. They plan to start FEED studies later this year: the chosen concept is a network of subsea wells connected to a 200,000 b/d FPSO stationed 150 km offshore, with all gas to be reinjected. To further limit emissions, the installations will be designed for zero flaring.
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MODEC’s newbuild FPSO Anita Garibaldi has started operating on Petrobras’ redeveloped post- and pre-salt Marlim and Voador fields in the Campos basin offshore Brazil. Earlier this year the FPSO Anna Nery began producing for the same revitalization project: the two facilities offer a combined capacity of up to 150,000 b/d of oil and 7 MMcm/d of gas. Anita Garibaldi, moored 150 km offshore Rio de Janeiro, is the first platform to employ MODEC’s separation tank concept which makes use of the cargo oil tanks to handle large volumes of water for the oil separation process.
SBM Offshore’s FPSO Sepetiba, the second platform for the Petrobras-operated Mero field development in the Libra block in the pre-salt Santos basin, arrived recently in Brazil following its voyage from China. The 180,000 b/d of oil/12MMcm/d of gas facility should start service at Mero shortly.
WEST AFRICA
Eni has produced first oil and gas from the Baleine field off Côte d’Ivoire through a remodelled FPSO that formerly operated on the Aquila field offshore southern Italy. The upgraded platform is currently handling up to 15,000 b/d of oil and 25 MMcf/d of associated gas, and rates from Baleine will increase steadily as new phases come onstream, eventually reaching 150,000 b/d and 200 MMcf/d of gas. The gas is sent ashore via new subsea pipeline.
Murphy Oil has signed PSCs giving it operated stakes of up to 90% in five deepwater blocks in the Tano basin off Côte d’Ivoire, in partnership with Petroci. Terms include a commitment to submit a development plan by late 2025 for the Paon oil field in block CI-103, which Anadarko discovered in 2012.
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Eni Congo has contracted Saipem to convert the semisubmersible drilling rig Scarabeo 5 to a separation and boosting FPU, to be located northwest of the Djeno terminal in 35 m of water offshore Republic of Congo. Operations should start by the end of 2025 as part of the Congo LNG project, which will have a production capacity of 3 MM t/yr of LNG.
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Azule Energy and Equinor have signed a Production Sharing Agreement for Block 31/21 offshore Angola, covering a 4,500-sq km deepwater area in the Lower Congo basin, 170 km from the coast. They plan to drill one well during the initial five-year exploration period.
NORTHWEST EUROPE
Norway’s government has approved plans to add onshore compression at the Hammerfest LNG production complex in Melkøya, northern Norway that receives gas-condensate from the Snøhvit fields in the Barents Sea. The development, part of the Equinor-operated Snøhvit Future project, should ensure long term operations and LNG exports from Melkøya through 2050.
In the North Sea, Equinor plans to install a new steam turbine on the Statfjord C platform that would generate heat from surplus heat from two gas compressors, a first for operations on the Norwegian shelf. It will replace the two existing gas turbines, cutting the platform’s CO2 emissions by 95,000 mt/yr.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Cyprus’ government has asked Chevron and its partners to come up with new proposals for the deepwater Aphrodite gas field south of the island in offshore Block 12, after vetoing their revised plan to export production through a subsea pipeline to connecting infrastructure in Egypt. The government claimed this would increase the project’s technical and commercial complexity compared to the earlier concept based on a FPSO.
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TechnipFMC has been working on a subsea integrated FEED study for Energean’s planned deepwater Katlan gasfield development offshore Israel, comprising recent discoveries across the multi-block Olympus area.
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Mellitah Oil & Gas, the consortium between Eni and NOC, have awarded Saipem a $1-billion EPCIC project for the Bouri Gas Utilization project offshore Libya. The work scope includes a re-vamp of the Bouri gas platforms and associated facilities in water depths of 145-183 m. Saipem will also construct and install a 5,000-t gas recovery module on the DP4 platform and lay 28 km of subsea pipelines connecting the DP3, DP4 and Sabratha platforms.
MIDDLE EAST
TotalEnergies and SOCAR are working on a second-phase development of the Absheron gas field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, following the start-up of phase one in July. They aim to step up production from the current 1.5 bcm to 5.5 bcm/yr, supporting Azerbaijan’s plans to export more gas to Europe.
The 19,600-metric ton topsides for the new 48-slot Azeri Central East production, drilling and quarters platform has been set down on the pre-installed jacket, in a water depth of 137 m. The platform, part of the bp-operated Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field development offshore Azerbaijan, will be controlled remotely from the Sangachal onshore terminal, a first for bp in the Caspian Sea. Star-up should take place early in 2024.
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National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has produced first gas from the South Pars Phase II development in the Persian Gulf. Production is exported through an offshore pipeline to an onshore treatment center, initially through four wells, with the facilities designed to deliver 56 MMcm/d at peak. TotalEnergies was the project’s originally designated operator before being forced to pull out due to the resumption of international sanctions against Iran.
ASIA-PACIFIC
ONGC has discovered gas in the Mid-South Tapti license in the Mumbai Offshore area off western India. The Pukhraj well ST-6 flowed gas from the Mahuva and Daman formations and has opened a new prospective area beyond the known limits of the Mid Tapti-South Tapti fields, the company said.
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Sarawak Shell has started gas production from the unmanned Timi platform in the offshore SK318 t concession. It is Shell’s first wellhead platform in Malaysia to feature a solar/wind hybrid power system, and the facility weighs around 60% less than a tender-assist drilling platform reliant on oil and gas for power, the company claimed. At peak the structure will produce up to 50,000 boe/d with the gas exported through a new 80-km pipeline to the F23 production hub.
Petronas Carigali’s exploration drilling campaign across five blocks off Sarawak, which started in late 2022, delivered six oil and gas discoveries named Gedombak, Kalung Emas, Machinchang. The company said it had adopted a clustered approach to exploration approach to drilling in the mature Balingian and West Luconia provinces.
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Vietnam’s government has approved Murphy Oil’s development plan for the Lac Da Vang field in Block 15-1/05 in the offshore Cuu Long basin. The company expected sanction for the project in late 2023.
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Eni has acquired Chevron’s interests in three blocks in the Kutei basin offshore East Kalimantan, Indonesia and now plans to fast-track development of the Gendalo and Gandang 2-tcf gas project in the Ganal PSC, close to its Jangkrik FPU.
Prima Energi has acquired shares held by AWE affiliates in the Northwest Natuna PSC off Indonesia and aims to develop the 80-MMboe recoverable Ande Ande Lamut heavy oil field in phases, initially via an early production system. This would involve construction of a small processing or wellhead platform producing up to 15,000 b/d from eight wells and conversion of a tanker to an FPSO or FSO.
AUSTRALIA
Wood’s teams in Perth are conducting the FEED for Woodside Energy’s Goodwyn Alpha Low-Low Pressure development. This involves adding compression to enhance production and modifications to existing facilities as part of the North West Shelf project.
INPEX and TotalEnergies have agreed to acquire PTTEP’s 100% interest in the AC-RL7 permit in the Timor Sea off north-west Australia, 250 km north-east of the offshore facilities for their Ichthys LNG project. The concession includes the undeveloped Cash and Maple gas-condensate discoveries which could provide future feedstock for the Ichthys LNG liquefaction complex in Darwin.
