Wassana MOPU cleared to resume oil production

Valeura Energy has restarted oil production at the Wassana Field in the Gulf of Thailand.

In late June, the company suspensed operations as a precaution after inspections identified a crack within a weld on one of MOPU’s steel jackup legs. But following further analysis, including magnetic particle inspection, the company believes that the anomaly is superficial and does not constitute a risk to the structural integrity of the platform.

Valeura expects production to return to pre-suspension rates of about 5,000 bbl/d (before royalties) within the next few days.

It plans to continue regular underwater inspections of its facilities and vessels to assure compliance with asset integrity requirements.

“At the same time, we are pursuing growth aggressively across our portfolio, including the larger-scale redevelopment of the Wassana asset," President and CEO Sean Guest said. “Front-end engineering and design work is progressing, and we are targeting readiness for a final investment decision on the project at approximately end 2024.”