Jeremy Beckman • London
Caribbean Sea/South America
BHP has proven more gas in the deepwater Magellan play offshore Trinidad and Tobago. The discovery in the Victoria prospect, drilled by the Transocean drillship Deepwater Invictus, was a follow-up to the earlier LeClerc find in the area. The rig was next due to drill the Bongos prospect for BHP north of Trinidad and Tobago.
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ExxonMobil has contracted SBM Offshore to perform front-end engineering and design (FEED) for a second FPSO for the deepwater Liza development offshore Guyana. This will be based on the contractor’s Fast4Ward concept, a newbuild hull supporting standardized topsides modules. It will be designed to produce 220,000 b/d of oil with gas treatment of 400 MMcf/d and water injection of 250,000 b/d and will be spread-moored in 1,600 m (5,249 ft) of water.
The drillship Stena Carron was due to spud a well on the Hammerhead prospect, close to the Liza field, after delivering an eighth discovery on the Stabroek block for the partners. Longtail-1 in 1,940 m (6,365 ft) of water in the southeastern part of the Stabroek block, intersected 78 m (256 ft) of oil-bearing reservoir. ExxonMobil estimates combined resources with the nearby Turbot find at over 500 MMboe recoverable.
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The FPSO Cidade de Campos dos Goytacazes MV29 has produced first oil for Petrobras from the Tartaruga Verde field in the Campos basin. The location is in 765 m (2,510 ft) of water, 125 km (78 mi) from the Rio de Janeiro state coast. MODEC built and is operating the vessel under a leasing arrangement: it can process 100,000 b/d of crude, store 1.6 MMbbl, and compress 176 MMcf/d of gas.
FPSOCidade de Campos dos Goytacazes MV29.(Courtesy MODEC)
Tartaruga Verde is one of the fields in which Petrobras is auctioning interests under its ongoing sales process, the others being Module III of Espadarte in the deepwater Campos basin, and the shallow-water Baúna field (the company’s entire interest) in the Santos basin.
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Premier Oil has issued a letter of intent for Dril-Quip Europe to provide 23 subsea production systems and ancillaries for the first-phase Sea Lion oilfield development in the offshore North Falkland basin. Dril-Quip expected to start pre-sanction engineering work this month – assuming the Sea Lion partners commit to the development, the company would also provide vendor financing for part of the contract.
West Africa
Eni has produced first gas from the Sankofa field, part of the Offshore Cape Three Points development offshore Ghana. Four deepwater subsea wells are connected to the FPSO John Agyekum Kufuor, with production heading through a 60-km (37-mi) subsea pipeline to the onshore reception plant in Sanzule for compression and distribution through Ghana’s grid. The field should provide 180 MMcf/d for at least 15 years.
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First Exploration & Petroleum Development Co. has entered a heads of terms with Malaysian contractor Yinson on the supply and charter of an FPSO for the Anyala and Madu fields in the Niger Delta, 40 km (25 mi) offshore Nigeria. Previously, First had signed a tripartite development agreement for the fields with NNPC and Schlumberger.
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BW Offshore’s FPSO BW Adolo was due to arrive at the Tortue field in the Dussafu permit offshore Gabon after sailing from Singapore, with first oil expected later this year. The vessel has capacity to produce 40,000 b/d of oil and to store 1.35 MMbbl.
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SOCO is selling its share in SOCO Congo and associated interests offshore Congo (Brazzaville) to Coastal Energy. The transaction includes an overriding royalty on future oil and gas produced from fields in the shallow-water Lideka, Lidongo, Loubana, and Viodo exploration permits.
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Eni has discovered more oil in the prolific block 15/06 off Angola. The drillship West Gemini drilled the Kalimba-1 NFW well in 458 m (1,502 ft) of water, 50 km (31 mi) southeast of the block’s East Hub FPSO. Eni estimates in-place resources in the range 230-300 MMbbl of light oil and plans studies for a fast-track development.
Mediterranean Sea
INA, co-owned by the Croatian state and Hungary’s MOL Group, has agreed to acquire Eni Croatia, its partner in various gas production projects in the offshore northern Adriatic and Marica fields. INA would thus gain sole ownership and operatorship of the fields, which respectively export gas to Croatia and Italy.
Ivana platform complex in the northern Adriatic Sea. (Courtesy MOL Group)
Eni and INA have also entered a memorandum of understanding on studies for a potential offshore gas interconnector. This would extend use of the existing offshore production infrastructure to gas transport between the two countries, also capable of operating reverse flows.
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Energean plans to drill an exploration well on the deepwater Karish North gas prospect offshore Israel, just prior to the start of the three-well development next year of the adjacent Karish Main field. The company estimates potential resources in the structure at 1.2 tcf of gas and 14 MMbbl of light oil. The Karish FPSO has capacity to accommodate future tie-ins.
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Mellitah Oil & Gas, the joint venture between Eni and state oil company NOC, has delivered first gas from the Bahr Essalam Phase 2 project, 120 km (75 mi) northwest and offshore of Libya’s capital Tripoli. Seven wells should be onstream by October, lifting output from the country’s largest producing gas field to 400 MMcf/d. The gas heads to the Sabratha platform for onward export to the Mellitah onshore treatment plant.
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Petrobel has contracted a consortium of Saipem and Petroleum Marine Services to provide life of field operations for the deepwater Zohr gas field development offshore Egypt. PMS’ DP-2 vessel Ahmed Fadel will support operations, with Saipem subsidiary Sonsub managing the field’s subsea equipment.
Zohr field subsea layout. (Courtesy Saipem)
Black Sea/Caspian Sea
BGP and Spectrum Geo recently started acquisition of a three-month 7,000-km, (4,349-mi) 2D multi-client survey offshore northern Turkey. One of the goals is to improve definition of promising structures in the eastern part of the Black Sea.
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BP has initiated gas production from the $28-billion Shah Deniz 2 project offshore Azerbaijan, the first subsea development in the Caspian Sea. The facilities, which include 26 subsea wells, two bridge-linked platforms and 500 km (310 mi) of flowlines, will supply 16 bcm/yr to supplement current production from the Shah Deniz field. The gas, sent to the upgraded Sangachal terminal near Baku, will eventually head to markets in southern Europe via new long-distance overland/offshore trunkline systems.
Middle East
SNC-Lavalin Engineers and Construction has a new five-year framework agreement to provide general engineering to Al Khafji Joint Operations (KJO), the joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Gulf Oil. The contractor will perform services for new projects in the joint offshore Kuwait/Saudi zone, including new platforms, jackets and subsea pipelines, and upgrades to KJO’s existing offshore facilities.
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ADNOC has issued contracts with a combined value of up to $1.6 billion for what it claims will be the world’s largest continuous offshore/onshore 3D survey. BGP will acquire up to 30,000 sq km (11,583 sq mi) of seismic data offshore Abu Dhabi and 23,000 sq km (8,880 sq mi) onshore, applying techniques claimed to provide data density up to five times existing standards over the complex subsurface area.
Al Yasat Company for Petroleum Operations, a joint venture between ADNOC and CNPC, has awarded an EPCC contract to NPCC for the full development of the Bu Haseer field offshore Abu Dhabi. NPCC will construct and install offshore facilities designed to double present production to 16,000 b/d in 2020.
East Africa
The Mozambique Rovuma venture has submitted its first-phase development plan for the Rovuma LNG project to Mozambique’s government. The offshore facilities will produce gas from the giant Mamba fields in deepwater Area 4, with output sent to two onshore LNG plants, each outputting 7.6 MMt/yr. On behalf of the joint venture, Eni will lead offshore construction with ExxonMobil managing the onshore program.
Asia/Pacific
POSCO Daewoo has contracted McDermott and Baker Hughes, a GE company to supply subsea architecture for the Shwe gas field development offshore western Myanmar. BHGE will provide the subsea production system, including eight medium-water horizontal xmas trees, subsea and topsides controls.
McDermott’s EPCIC scope covers the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines, with all structures to be manufactured in the Asia/Pacific region, and brownfield modifications at the existing Shwe platform to accommodate the tiebacks.
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Royal Boskalis Westminster has a letter of award from Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) covering transportation and installation of a topsides for the Bokor central processing platform phase 3 redevelopment offshore Malaysia. MMHE will build the topsides in country for subsequent skidding onto an open stern heavy transport vessel.
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CNOOC has signed a production-sharing contract with Roc Oil (Bohai) and Smart Oil Investment for the Weizhou 10-3W oilfield and block 22/04. Both are in the Beibu Gulf basin in the South China Sea, in water depths ranging from 40-80 m (131-262 ft). If exploration leads to commercial discoveries, CNOOC will take over as operator for the development.
Australasia
MODEC is performing FEED in competition with other parties for ConocoPhillips’ Barossa gas/light condensate development, 300 km (186 mi) offshore Darwin, Northern Australia. The operator plans a subsea production system and pipeline exporting the gas to the Darwin LNG facility.
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Chevron has awarded Baker Hughes, a GE company two contracts for the second development phase of the Greater Gorgon area, 130-220 km (81-137 mi) offshore Western Australia’s northwest coast. One contract involves the supply of 13 subsea production trees, two eight-slot manifolds fatigue-resistant wellheads and subsea controls, under a 15-year master service agreement. The other, five-year contract covers the supply of well completion equipment and associated services.
Gorgon Stage Two will expand the subsea gas-gathering network to maintain long-term gas supplies to the 15.6 MMt/yr LNG plant and domestic gas plant on Barrow Island, via new wells on the Gorgon and Jansz-Io fields.
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Quadrant Energy/Carnarvon Petroleum have discovered light oil with a well on the Dorado prospect offshore Western Australia. Carnarvon described the find as significant, due to the net pay of around 80 m (262 ft), the oil quality and the reservoir characteristics. •
