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December 2010
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World Trends and Technology for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations
For continuous news & analysis
www.offshore-mag.com
Top 5
Projects
of 2010
• U.S. authorities
impose new safety rules
• North Sea drilling
strategies
• Deepwater mooring
challenges
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On behalf of our entire Transocean family, I’d like to thank
the many individuals, community organizations, industry
peers, customers, and so many others who have shown such
tremendous support and kindness since the April 20 incident on
board the Deepwater Horizon.
From the first hours when we received the news of an accident on
the rig, the safe evacuation and return of 115 crew members was
supported by many first responders, including the heroic efforts of
those on the rig, supply vessel companies, fishermen, and of course
the U.S. Coast Guard. Words cannot convey our gratitude for your
efforts to help keep our people safe.
When we sadly confirmed the tragic loss of 11 of our colleagues,
the outpouring of condolences and prayers for their family
members and friends was extraordinary. Many individuals and
organizations took it upon themselves to make donations to an
SFCU Deepwater Horizon Memorial Fund, attend a memorial
service in Jackson on May 25, participate in a recent fundraising
event hosted by Oilfield Helping Hands, and much more. As a
company, we remain steadfastly committed to supporting the
families of our lost co-workers, but we continue to be
deeply touched by the very generous additional support
that has been shown to them. Thank you.
Moving forward, every day we have eleven men to think
about. It is in their names – Jason Anderson, Dale
Burkeen, Donald Clark, Stephen Curtis, Wyatt Kemp,
Karl Kleppinger, Dewey Revette, Shane Roshto, Adam
Weise, Gordon Jones and Blair Manuel – that each of us
at Transocean has redoubled our efforts to ensuring we
continue to operate our rigs safely and reliably all around the
world. I work with the best team of dedicated professionals
in the industry, and I know that nobody can provide the
outstanding service our customers demand and deserve better
than them. Working together, I’m confident we’ll continue to
lead the way in offshore drilling in 2011 and beyond.
Steven Newman
President and CEO, Transocean
Deepwater Horizon Memorial Website
www.deepwaterhorizonmemorial.com
Visit the memorial site where you can share your condolences with the
families, view photos and video from the May 25 memorial service, or
make a donation to the SFCU Deepwater Horizon Memorial Fund.
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International Edition
Volume 70, Number 12
December 2010
C O N T E N T S
Offshore (ISSN 0030-0608) is published 12 times a year, monthly by PennWell, 1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112. Periodicals class postage paid at Tulsa, OK, and additional offices.
Copyright 2010 by PennWell. (Registered in U.S. Patent Trademark Office.) All rights reserved. Permission, however, is granted for libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance
Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, Phone (508) 750-8400, Fax (508) 750-4744 to photocopy articles for a base fee of $1 per copy of the article plus 35¢ per page.
Payment should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders should be addressed to the Editor. Subscription prices: US $101.00 per year, Canada/Mexico $ 132.00 per year, All other
countries $167.00 per year (Airmail delivery: $234.00). Worldwide digital subscriptions: $101 per year. Single copy sales: US $10.00 per issue, Canada/Mexico $12.00 per issue, All other coun-
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available upon request. POSTMASTER send form 3579 to Offshore, P.O. Box 3200, Northbrook, IL 60065-3200.To receive this magazine in digital format, go to www.omeda.com/os.
30
50
44
TOP 5 PROJECTS
Perdido advances deepwater GoM
production possibilities.......................................................... 30
Located in an isolated, ultra-deep sector of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM),
Shell’s Perdido is the world’s deepest offshore oil drilling and produc-
tion platform.
Jubilee brings Ghana into deepwater fold ............................ 36
Production was due to start this month on the Jubilee field off Ghana,
catapulting the West African country into the ranks of deepwater pro-
ducers with its first offshore development.
Petrobras’ Cascade & Chinook
inaugurate FPSO production in GoM...................................... 40
Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), the Brazilian operator of the Cas-
cade and Chinook fields in the US Gulf of Mexico, says production will
begin in early 2011.
Statoil establishes new North Sea production outpost......... 44
Earlier this month, GDF Suez joined the ranks of major operators on the
Norwegian shelf when first oil flowed through the Gjøa field platform.
Canada gets its first subsea tieback ..................................... 48
Oil production is under way from the North Amethyst field offshore
Newfoundland & Labrador. North Amethyst is the first satellite field
development at Husky Energy Inc.’s White Rose project and is notable
as the first subsea tieback in Canada.
DEEPWATER HORIZON AFTERMATH
Regulatory uncertainty stifles permit
applications; Gulf drilling still minimal.................................. 50
Exploration drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is still locked up in a world
of doubt and uncertainty in the aftermath of the fatal Macondo well
blowout and oil spill.
GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS
Processing advances push technology envelope ................. 54
Two broad topics emerged from the 2010 Society of Exploration
Geophysicists Annual Meeting & Exhibition: the ideas of processing
“integration” and “collaboration” loom as urgent targets for the entire
upstream workflow.
DRILLING & COMPLETION
Optimizing drilling performance
in the Southern North Sea...................................................... 58
All hydrocarbon producing regions around the world present particular
drilling challenges, but the Southern North Sea (SNS) presents more
than most.
Celebrating Over 50 Years of Trends, Tools, and Technology
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International Edition
Volume 70, Number 12
December 2010
D E P A R T M E N T S
PRODUCTION OPERATIONS
Challenges to offshore mooring are changing .........................................................60
Faced with deeper, more remote, and more complex installations, the global offshore mooring
industry confronts significant logistics, cost, and safety challenges. A key driver behind this is
the increase in exploration activity and growth in subsea installations.
EQUIPMENT & ENGINEERING
Weld overlay cladding widens options
in extreme subsea environments...................62
With corrosion and corrosion prevention costing the
subsea industry billions of dollars every year, the
selection of materials to ensure the safe long-term
operation of equipment such as pipelines and valves
is vital.
COVER: The editors of Offshore
magazine have made their choices
for the Five Star Award – the top five
offshore field development projects
for 2010 – and proudly announce the
winners in this issue. The projects
are selected on the basis on best
use of innovation in production
method, application of technology,
and resolution of challenges, along
with safety, environmental protec-
tion, and project execution. Cover
image courtesy Epic Software.
Online.................................................... 6
Comment............................................... 8
Data..................................................... 10
Global E&P .......................................... 12
Offshore Europe.................................. 18
Gulf of Mexico..................................... 20
Subsea Systems ................................. 22
Vessels, Rigs, & Surface Systems...... 24
Drilling & Production.......................... 26
Geosciences........................................ 28
Business Briefs................................... 84
Advertisers’ Index............................... 87
Beyond the Horizon ............................ 88
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seeks subsea innovation
Drilling and Completion
Production
Subsea
Construction and Installation
Transportation and Logistics
Geology and Geophysics
In-depth coverage of
offshore oil and gas
industry for more
than 56 years
Our Tradition
Runs
Deep
www.offshore-mag.com
Our depth is a tradition
you can count on.
To respond to articles in Offshore, or to offer articles for publication,
contact the editor by email (davidp@pennwell.com).
C O M M E N T David Paganie • Houston
Offshore’s Top 5 for 2010
The editors of Offshore magazine have made their choices for the Five Star Award –
the top five offshore field development projects for 2010 – and proudly announce the
winners in this issue.
The projects are selected on the basis on best use of innovation in production method,
application of technology, and resolution of challenges, along with safety, environmental
protection, and project execution. In no particular order, the top five offshore field de-
velopment projects for 2010 are:
Perdido
Located in an isolated, ultra-deep sector of the Gulf of Mexico, Shell’s Perdido is the
world’s deepest offshore drilling and production platform. Moored in 2,450 m (8,000
ft) of water in Alaminos Canyon block 857, the Perdido development opens up a new
frontier in deepwater oil and gas production, and represents a number of firsts in the
offshore oil and gas industry.
The project is described in detail by Bruce Beaubouef, managing editor, beginning
on page 30.
Cascade and Chinook
Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), the Brazilian operator of the Cascade and Chi-
nook fields in the US Gulf of Mexico, says production will begin in early 2011, even
though original plans called for first oil by the end of 2010.
When Cascade and Chinook begin production, Petrobras will become the first oil
company to operate an FPSO-type production system in US waters. The Cascade and
Chinook fields will employ shuttle tankers to transport produced oil and use self-sustain-
able submerged pumps and risers in the production train.
Eldon Ball, senior editor, technology economics, gives the full details in his
report beginning on page 40.
North Amethyst
Oil production is under way from the North Amethyst field offshore Newfoundland
Labrador. North Amethyst is the first satellite field development at Husky Energy Inc.’s
White Rose project and is notable as the first subsea tieback offshore Canada. Wells in
the subsea North Amethyst Drill Center tieback 6 km (3.75 mi) to the SeaRose FPSO
through flexible underwater flowlines.
The project report by Gene Kliewer, technology editor, subsea seismic, begins
on page 48.
Jubilee
Production was due to start this month on the Jubilee field off Ghana, catapulting the
West African country into the ranks of deepwater producers with its first offshore develop-
ment. Despite its size, the project is also a genuine example of a fast-track development,
achieving first oil within three and a half years of discovery. Tullow Oil, the field unit
operator, describes it as the “fastest ever full-scale deepwater development.”
See the full report by Nick Terdre, contributing editor, beginning on page 36.
Gjøa
Gjøa is a mid-size field with recoverable reserves estimated at 82 MMbbl of oil and conden-
sate and 40 bcm (1.4 tcf) of gas. Concurrently, Statoil has developed the satellite Vega field in
two separate licenses, holding an estimated 26 MMbbl of condensate and 1.8 bcm (63.56 bcf)
of gas. The combined project, incurring investments of around NOK 40 billion ($6.6 billion), is
the company’s largest-scale new development since Snøhvit in the Barents Sea.
Jeremy Beckman, editor-Europe, gives a detailed report beginning on page 44.
Congratulations to all of our winners for their contribution to the successful applica-
tion of new and innovative technology in developing offshore hydrocarbon resources.
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GoM drilling permits issued
Drillingpermits
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Apr.
45
May
40
June
9
July
18
Oct.
21
Aug.
15
Sept.
14
Source: BOEMRE
Worldwide offshore rig count utilization rate
Nov 2008 – Oct 2010
850
750
650
550
450
350
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
No.ofrigs
Fleetutilizationrate
Nov 08 Feb 09
Contracted fleet utilization
May 09 Aug 09 Nov 09 Feb 10 May 10 Aug 10
Total fleet Contracted Working
Copyright © 2010 ODS-Petrodata Inc.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
West Africa rig utilization
Oct09
Nov09
Dec09
Jan10
Feb10
Mar10
April10
May10
June10
July10
Aug10
Sept10
Oct10
Percent
Drillships
Semisub
Jackups
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Worldwide rig utilization
Oct09
Nov09
Dec09
Jan10
Feb10
Mar10
April10
May10
June10
July10
Aug10
Sept10
Oct10
Percent
Drillships
Semisub
Jackups
G L O B A L D AT A
10 Offshore December 2010 • www.offshore-mag.com
Worldwide day rates
Year/Month Minimum Average Maximum
Drillship
2009 Nov $125,000 $385,613 $600,000
2009 Dec $125,000 $386,950 $600,000
2010 Jan $125,000 $387,581 $630,000
2010 Feb $125,000 $388,488 $630,000
2010 Mar $125,000 $389,333 $592,500
2010 April $125,000 $393,723 $592,500
2010 May $125,000 $386,471 $592,500
2010 June $125,000 $391,084 $592,500
2010 July $125,000 $398,242 $592,500
2010 Aug $125,000 $398,109 $592,500
2010 Sept $125,000 $403,421 $650,000
2010 Oct $125,000 $412,752 $650,000
Jackup
2009 Nov $28,000 $134,118 $360,000
2009 Dec $28,000 $132,266 $375,000
2010 Jan $28,000 $129,205 $375,000
2010 Feb $28,000 $126,920 $398,000
2010 Mar $28,000 $123,050 $398,000
2010 April $28,000 $118,655 $398,000
2010 May $28,000 $115,967 $398,000
2010 June $27,000 $115,081 $398,000
2010 July $25,000 $115,450 $398,000
2010 Aug $6,500 $115,006 $335,000
2010 Sept $10,000 $114,467 $335,000
2010 Oct $10,000 $113,181 $335,000
Semi
2009 Nov $80,000 $358,373 $647,000
2009 Dec $80,000 $365,079 $647,000
2010 Jan $83,000 $368,892 $647,000
2010 Feb $83,000 $363,486 $647,000
2010 Mar $83,000 $365,181 $647,000
2010 April $83,000 $361,872 $647,000
2010 May $83,000 $360,153 $647,000
2010 June $47,000 $357,285 $647,000
2010 July $47,000 $351,696 $647,000
2010 Aug $47,000 $355,349 $647,000
2010 Sept $47,000 $355,991 $647,000
2010 Oct $47,000 $359,359 $647,000
Source: Rigzone.com
Source:Rigzone.com
Source:Rigzone.com
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G L O B A L E P Jeremy Beckman • London
Worldwide investments in oil and gas pipelines could exceed
$269 billion over the next five years, according to analysts Infield
Systems Ltd. Its Global Perspectives Pipelines Control Lines Market
Update Report to 2014 predicts steady growth of over 5% annually in
installations. And for the first time, the SURF (subsea umbilicals,
risers, and flowlines) sector should surpass “conventional” pipelay.
This is due to partly to the emergence of large regional development
projects, including long subsea gas tiebacks off northwest Austra-
lia, and demand for flexibles in Brazil’s deepwater pre-salt basins.
Infield also foresees growth in subsea power lines feeding offshore
production complexes.
North America
Cairn Energy has completed its first-phase drilling program in Baf-
fin Bay, offshore Greenland. The company used two rigs to drill three
wells, the first in the region for nearly 35 years. One of the wells, T8-1,
encountered gas in thin sands, while Alpha-1S1, has been suspended for
a possible re-entry. Cairn plans further work next year, based in part on
newly acquired 2D seismic on the offshore Eqqua and Sigguk blocks.
•••
Exxon Mobil has awarded the new Kiewit-Aker Contractors joint ven-
ture a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for the Hebron
platform gravity-based structure. Hebron is an oil and gas development,
350 km (217 mi) offshore St. John’s, Newfoundland Labrador. The con-
tract could be extended to include detailed engineering, procurement,
and construction (EPC) services. Site preparation will start at the local
Bull Arm fabrication yard, once permits have been received.
West Africa
Togo has awarded ENI two production-sharing contracts cover-
ing the country’s entire offshore area. ENI will operate blocks 1 and
2 with a 100% interest; both are in the little explored Dahomey basin,
east of the prolific Tano basin off Ghana.
•••
Chevron has contracted Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Enegi-
neering (DSME) to build a new production platform for installation
in block 0 offshore Cabinda. The 18,758-ton facility, which will be
built in Geoje, South Korea, should be delivered by late 2013.
Sonangol and SBM Offshore have agreed to admit DSME to their
Paenal Yard joint venture. This was established in Porto Amboim in
2007 to provide fabrication of topsides modules and FPSO integra-
tion. DSME will perform module and FPSO construction and inte-
gration at the yard for Total’s new deepwater CLOV development
in Angolan block 17. This will involve extending the quayside to ac-
commodate low berthing of FPSOs, and adding a heavy-lift crane.
Earlier, Total contracted KBR for topsides detailed design for
the floater, which will process around 160,000 b/d of oil and 230
MMcf/d of gas from the Cravo, Lirio, Orquidea, and Violeta fields.
•••
Total has become operator of its first deepwater exploration per-
mit off Cote d’Ivoire, following a farm-in agreement with Yam’s Pe-
troleum. The CO-100 block covers nearly 2,000 sq km (772 sq mi),
southeast of Abidjan, in water depths of 1,500-3,100 m (4,921-10,170
ft). Total, Yam’s and state oil company Petroci will commission a
1,000-sq km (386-sq mi) 3D seismic survey to complete coverage of
the block, followed by a first well by 2012 latest. Total sees geologi-
cal analogies with the deepwater discoveries in neighboring Ghana.
South America
Shell has initiated the Phase II development of the Parque das Con-
chas (BC-10) project offshore Brazil. This will involve drilling a further
seven wells to subsurface depths of 1,100 m (3,600 ft) to recover 300
MMboe of reserves. Under Phase 1, which came onstream in 2009,
nine wells were drilled on the Abalone, Ostra, and Argonauta B-West
fields, with production sent to the FPSO Espirito Santo for processing.
•••
Petrobras has drilled its ninth successful well so far on the Tupi
pre-salt field in Brazil’s Santos basin. The Tupi SW well was drilled
in a water depth of 2,152 m (7,060 ft). According to partner BG, it
located the oil/water contact at the deepest of potential depths that
had previously been considered, thereby reducing uncertainty over
hydrocarbon volumes in the Tupi area.
BG has upgraded its estimate of recoverable resources from Tupi
and the nearby Iracema and Guara discoveries by 2.7 Bboe to 10.8
Bboe, following analysis of new reservoir models. The assessment,
provided by independent consultants, was based in part on this lat-
est well and data from Tupi’s ongoing extended well test.
•••
The semisub Ocean Guardian was due to resume work last month
on the Rachel North prospect in the offshore North Falkland basin.
Operator Desire Petroleum won approval to drill a new vertical well,
1.7 km (1.06 mi) from the Rachel 14/15-1Z sidetrack – the latter
encountered oil shows, but had to be prematurely abandoned follow-
ing mechanical failure of the wellbore.
Desire, Rockhopper, and Argos Resources have jointly contracted
the Polarcus Asima vessel for a large 3D seismic survey over their ex-
ploration acreage in the region. Argos has identified five prospects
in its license area, based on a 1996 2D survey, and plans to drill its
first well in late 2011.
Mediterranean Sea
UTE ACS Cobra Castor has contracted Saipem to install a gas pipe-
line for the Castor offshore gas storage project from end-2011. The
pipeline, 22-km (13.7-mi) long and 30-in. (76-cm) in diameter, will ex-
tend from Vinaroz in mainland Spain to an offshore field where a new
wellhead platform was erected in August. The facilities will produce,
compress, treat, and re-inject gas into the Spanish national grid.
•••
Noble Energie France and Melrose Resources have contracted
a vessel to acquire 2D seismic over the deepwater Rhone Maritime
concession off southern France. The 8,000-km (4,971-mi) program
was due to start mid-November. Noble, which recently became op-
erator of the permit, will cover the costs under the farm-in terms.
The Polarcus Asima will expand 3D data coverage over the North Falkland
basin.
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© Copyright 2010 Aker Solutions. All rights reserved. www.akersolutions.com/subsea
Succeeding in subsea today takes
broader capabilities,
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Aker Solutions is the only company structured to help you
succeed in every stage of the subsea field lifecycle.
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Gulf Marine Fabricators is proud to introduce a new graving dock
on the Gulf of Mexico, providing construction and repair of hulls,
drill rigs, drill ships and other marine
vessels with deepwater access via
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G L O B A L E P
Melrose says the acreage has hydrocarbon potential at both Pre-
and Post-Messinian intervals.
•••
In the deepwater Levantine basin offshore Israel, the Sedco Express
has started drilling the Leviathan prospect for Noble in the Rachel
license. The location is 135 km (84 mi) west of Haifa, in a water
depth of 1,634 m (5,631 ft). Noble plans to test three targets as the
well descends to its planned depth of 7,200 m (23,622 ft).
Black Sea
First gas has flowed from the Kavarna and Kaliakra fields in the
Bulgarian sector. Romanian contractor GSP Offshore installed fa-
cilities tying the two accumulations back to the Galata platform via
subsea wells. The gas is exported by pipeline to operator Melrose
Resources’ processing plant onshore in Varna. Melrose has further
plans to tie in the nearby East Kavarna structure.
Not such good news for the company to the north in the Romanian
sector, where operator Sterling Resources has terminated its proposed
farm-in to the offshore Pelican and Midia blocks. Sterling blames exces-
sive delays in obtaining regulatory approvals for the transfer. It plans to
pursue programs for the Ana and Doina discoveries with its existing
partners, PetroVentures Europe and Gas Plus International.
Middle East
Iraq’s South Oil Co. has awarded Leighton Offshore a $733-million
EPC contract for a construction project in the Persian Gulf. This is de-
signed to expand export facilities at and from the Fao Terminal near Al
Basrah. Leighton’s work scope includes installation and commissioning
of two parallel 48-in. (122-cm) offshore/onshore pipelines linking the ter-
minal to three new offshore single-point moorings, which the company
will also install, along with associated subsea pipeline end manifolds.
•••
Iran is in negotiations with a foreign oil company to develop the
Farzad B gas/oil field in the Farsi block in the Persian Gulf. De-
velopment would be in the form of a buyback contract, and would
probably cost $5 billion, according to National Iranian Offshore Oil
Co. Due to international sanctions, Iranian companies have mo-
nopolized all the country’s recent offshore projects, including new
phases of the South Pars gas-condensate development.
East Africa
BG Group’s first deepwater well off Tanzania has discovered gas
in the Pweza prospect. The well was drilled in block 4 in 1,400 m
(4,593 ft) of water, 85 km (53 mi) from the southern Tanzanian coast.
BG operates three blocks in the Mafia Deep Offshore basin, and
plans to drill two further wells.
•••
Anadarko has confirmed a second discovery in Mozambique’s
ultra-deepwater Rovuma basin. The Barquentine-1 well intersected
over 416 net ft (127 m) of gas pay in multiple sands, and over 308 net
ft (94 m) of pay in two Oligocene sands. The well also encountered
108 ft (33 m) of gas pay deeper down in Palaeocene sands, which ap-
pears to be part of the same accumulation forming the Windjammer
find, 2 mi (3.2 km) to the southwest. Next up for Anadarko and the
drillship Belford Dolphin was a planned well on the Lagosta prospect,
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Ultra-deepwater
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G L O B A L E P
16 mi (25.7 km) to the south.
Offshore Kenya, the company may start
drilling on its five contiguous deepwater
blocks in 2012, according to new farm-in
partner Cove Energy.
Indian Sub-Continent
Reliance Industries has contracted Mus-
tang for FEED and detailed engineering for a
gas compression system for the KG D6 block
terminal on India’s east coast. This will be one
of the world’s largest such facilities in a single
location, providing 100,000 hp to compress in-
coming gas from the KG-D6 deepwater fields.
In the shallow water KG basin, 3 km (1.8
mi) from the Amalupraam coastline, ONGC
has discovered gas in the IF PEKL block.
Well GS-KV-1 flowed at a rate of 82 MMcf/d.
ONGC may develop the accumulation as
part of a field cluster.
•••
Cairn Energy has agreed to sell its EP
interests in Bangladesh to Santos Interna-
tional Holdings. These include the produc-
ing offshore gas field Sangu, recently aver-
aging around 33 MMcf/d. Santos plans to
drill three wells in the Sangu area next year.
Asia/Pacific
CNOOC has started production from two
shallow water oil fields in Bohai Bay, offshore
China. BoZhong 26-3, in the central sector,
has been developed by four wells tied into
nearby facilities. LuDa 32-2, in the eastern
part of Bohai Bay, was developed jointly with
the LD27-2 field. Both the new fields should
deliver over 6,000 b/d at peak in 2011.
•••
Total EP Borneo has a third discovery
in block B offshore Brunei. The Ml-5 well
was drilled 8 km (4.9 mi) south of the Maha-
raja Lela/Jamulalam field, in a new, deep fault
panel. It flowed gas and condensate from
high-pressure/high-temperature formations
at a subsurface depth of 5,350 m (17,522 ft),
setting a new depth record for a production
test in Southeast Asia, the company claims.
•••
BP has agreed to sell its assets in Viet-
nam to the TNK-BP joint venture. These
comprise an operated interest in block 06.1
offshore southeast Vietnam, containing the
Lan Tay and Lan Do fields; a 32.67% inter-
est in the 370-km (230-mi) Nam Con Son
pipeline taking gas from these fields to the
coast; and 33.3% of the joint venture operat-
ing the Phu My 3 power plant in Baria Vung
Tau province.
Australia/New Zealand
Apache Julimar plans to develop the Bal-
naves oil and gas discovery off Western Aus-
tralia in license WA-356-P, following a fourth
well success. The oil is contained in the Mun-
garoo formation beneath the gas reservoirs
of the Brunello field. Apache estimates Bal-
naves’ recoverable resources at 14-19 MMb-
bl. Brunello and the nearby Julimar are much
larger gas accumulations that will provide
feedstock for the Wheatstone LNG project.
•••
The partners in the Basker-Manta-Gum-
my development in the Bass Strait have
agreed to switch the present Phase I oil
program into a Non-Production Phase. Op-
eration of the Crystal Ocean FPSO and Basker
Spirit shuttle tanker will be suspended. The
partnership, led by ROC, will meantime
evaluate options for a separate Phase II gas
development, supplies from which could be
diverted to a proposed LNG scheme. ᶁ
KLKPJH[LK [V S[YHKLLW^H[LY
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O F F S H O R E E U R O P E Jeremy Beckman • London
Norway needs
exploration stimulus
Oil and gas investments on the Norwe-
gian shelf are set to climb to $26.6 billion by
2014, 10% above last year’s figure, according
to the Norwegian Oil Industry Association
(OLF). But this may not be enough to stem
Norway’s production decline – over the next
few years, OLF warns, the country’s oil out-
put could sink to half the peak achieved in
2000, while gas production shows signs of
leveling off.
Gro Braekken, managing director, said the
industry had committed to a higher level of ex-
ploration, which had brought several new dis-
coveries. But most have been small because
the government had not opened sufficient ex-
ploration acreage since the mid-1990s.
OLF estimates Norway’s remaining re-
coverable reserves at 51 Bboe, with an un-
certainty range of 33-73 Bboe owing to lim-
ited knowledge of potential in large parts of
the Barents and Norwegian seas. One posi-
tive recent development was the redefinition
of the country’s maritime boundary with
Russia, which could spur fresh activity on
the Norwegian side, Braekken said.
Last month, bids were closed for Nor-
way’s 21st licensing round. According to the
Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, frontier
acreage drew a strong response, although
the total of bidders for blocks was only 37,
compared with 46 for the 20th round. The
Ministry of Petroleum and Energy offered
94 blocks and part-blocks – the awards
should be issued next spring.
Statoil goes for growth
Statoil, always the prime mover in Nor-
way’s development sector, is pushing ahead
with five new projects. The largest in value
is Valemon in the North Sea, targeting 200
MMboe of reserves. Statoil has submitted
to the authorities a $3.36-billion scheme
based around a fixed steel platform provid-
ing separation of gas, condensate, and water.
Heerema has a letter of intent to build the
9,200-metric ton (10,141-ton) jacket in Vliss-
ingen, the Netherlands, and later to install it.
Valemon, between the producing Kviteb-
jorn and Gullfaks South fields, will export its
gas via the Huldra-Heimdal pipeline, while
its condensate will be piped to Kvitebjorn
for stabilization and onward transport to the
refinery at Mongstad.
At the Åsgard complex in the Norwe-
gian Sea, Statoil and partners have decided
against adding a new platform to counter
future pressure decline at the Midgard and
Mikkel fields, opting instead for subsea
compression. Both fields are tied back long
distances to the Åsgard B floating platform,
but will need pressure support from end-
2014 onwards.
The proposed subsea equipment com-
prises a gas cooler, a liquids separator, and
a compressor, the latter probably powered
directly from the Åsgard A production ship.
The kit would be stationed in between the
reservoirs and the host platform.
Also in the Norwegian Sea, Statoil is set
to tie back the Gygrid oil discovery 20 km
(12.4 mi) to the Njord A semisubmersible
platform. If approved, this would extend the
Njord facilities’ life-span beyond 2015. Final-
ly, in the North Sea, Statoil has contracted
Subsea 7 for subsea installations for Katla
and Pan Pandora, two recent finds with total
reserves of 100 MMboe. Katla will tieback
to the Oseberg South platform, and Pan Pan-
dora to Gullfaks C.
Jasmine boost for J-block
ConocoPhillips has also triggered a con-
struction spree, winning UK government
sanction for its Jasmine project in the central
North Sea J block. Jasmine is a high-pres-
sure/high-temperature gas condensate field
discovered in September 2006. Its reserves
of over 100 MMboe make this the UK’s larg-
est current development, although other
heavyweights may follow west of Shetland
next year.
Under Phase 1, a 24-slot wellhead plat-
form with bridge-linked accommodation will
be linked to the Judy production platform to
the east by a new multiphase pipeline. A new
riser platform will be added at Judy, again
connected to the existing platform by a
bridge. Commingled gas processed at Judy
will be transported to the UK mainland via
the CATS offshore trunkline, with the liq-
uids heading to Teesside, northern England
through the Norpipe system.
WorleyParsons will provide detailed engi-
neering for the new platforms and bridges,
and functional design and specifications
for the subsea facilities. Subsea 7 has been
booked to install two associated pipeline
bundle systems, power and communications
cables, control umbilicals linking the subsea
isolation valves, and tie-ins.
Among other new projects, Total has
commissioned Petrofac to construct a 500
MMcf/d processing plant on the main Shet-
land Island to treat gas from the Laggan and
Tormore fields to the west. ENI has won a
license to convert the Deborah field in the
southern North Sea to a 4-6 bcm gas storage
facility, which could start operating in 2015.
And Nexen Petroleum UK has contracted
Penspen for a subsea FEED study for its
multi-field Golden Eagle Area development
in the central sector.
Reviews constrain
UK license awards
Britain’s Department of Energy and Cli-
mate Change has issued 144 new offshore li-
censes under the UK’s 26th licensing round,
with 45 further awards pending the results
of more detailed environmental studies.
The total of associated blocks is 268, with
99 more contingent on the outcome of the
license reviews.
Among the winners, a partnership led
by OMV gained three blocks adjoining the
Tobermory and Bunnehaven discoveries
west of Shetland. In the same region, Faroe
Petroleum operates four new blocks in a
little-explored play to the west of BP’s Clair
oil field; and Hurricane Exploration secured
part of block 204/23b, strengthening its po-
sition in an emerging basement oil play.
Malcolm Webb, CEO of industry associa-
tion Oil Gas UK, welcomed the awards,
but was aghast at the European Commis-
sion’s suggestion that Britain, along with
other member European states, should con-
sider suspending oil and gas licensing until
the Commission has reviewed their offshore
safety regimes. Additionally, the Commis-
sion is seeking to introduce new pan-Eu-
ropean Union prescribed safety standards.
Webb said this would “run directly counter
to the UK approach, which ensures that the
risks associated with drilling programs are
considered and reduced to as low as is rea-
sonably practicable on a case by case basis.
Any erosion of that system would jeopardize
and not improve safety.”
UK operators may face further interfer-
ence, with Greenpeace threatening court
action last month in an attempt to block deep-
water UK drilling, pending a full review of the
Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico. ᶁ
Statoil aims to prolong the lifespan of the Njord
platform through the Gygrid tieback.
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HERRENKNECHT VE RTI CAL GMBH | DEEP DRILLING RIGS NETHERLANDS
HERRENKNECHT VERTICAL OFFSHORE RIG
READY FOR ITS FIRST JOB IN THE NORTH SEA.
Herrenknecht Vertical GmbH
Im Heidenwinkel 5
D-77963 Schwanau
Phone +49 7824 302 130
Fax +49 7824 302 133
info@vertical-herrenknecht.com
www.herrenknecht-vertical.com
Herrenknecht Vertical has designed and manufactured an innovative, powerful and highly
automated offshore rig for the Dutch drilling company SWIFT DRILLING. This cantilever rig type
“Terra Invader 250CL” is placed on a jack-up barge to carry out workover operations and drill new
slim-hole oil and gas wells in the North Sea from 2011 onwards.
Offshore experts from SWIFT DRILLING and engineers from Herrenknecht Vertical have
been working together to create the basis for the construction of the light-weight and powerful
drilling rig. The “Terra Invader 250CL” sets new standards in terms of safe and efficient drilling
and production operations. Herrenknecht Vertical deep drilling rigs generally excel due to their
hydraulic components. The hydraulic cylinder hoist system allows for particularly accurate and
safe vertical drilling operations. The “hands-off” pipe handling makes sure that, in general, no
personnel needs to work in dangerous areas. This allows a reduction in the number of personnel
required on the drilling platform, a significant increase in safety and the necessary flexibility
during the drilling process.
MACHINE DATA
Type: Terra Invader 250CL
Cantilever
Hook load: 270t (300sht,
250t below safer sub)
Power hoist system:
1,200kW (1,600hp)
Power top drive:
800kW (1,000hp)
Hydraulic power units:
4x 500kW (4x 670hp)
NORTH SEA | NETHERLANDS
PROJECT DATA
Employment: Oil and
gas exploration
Drilling depth:
up to 5,500m
Operator: Shell
Drilling Contractor:
Swift Drilling BV
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G U L F O F M E X I C O Bruce Beaubouef • Houston
IEA: Drilling requests picking up
Drilling requests for the Gulf of Mexico are picking up after the
moratorium was lifted, says the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“Oil companies are queuing up to submit requests to recom-
mence drilling, including many of those previously active in the
area,” the IEA said in a report issued in mid-November. “Companies
remain keen to work in the Gulf of Mexico, seeing it as one of the
more profitable regions accessible to them.”
US President Barak Obama halted oil and natural gas drilling in
waters deeper than 500 ft (152 m) after BP’s Macondo well blew out
April 20, killing 11 workers and setting off the biggest oil spill in US
history. The new rules will add $183 million a year to the cost of drill-
ing on the outer csontinental shelf, the Interior Department said in
an Oct. 14 notice in the Federal Register.
The rules will add $1.42 million in costs for each new deepwater
well that uses a floating rig, the department predicts. Shallow-water
wells could cost an extra $90,000.
Oil production in the Gulf for 2010 will be 60,000 boe/d and 100,000
boe/din2011,lowerthanearlierforecasts,theIEAsaid.Thefirstpermits
could be granted before the end of the year and the question remains
what this will mean for production volumes, the Paris-based agency said.
The rules are aimed at tightening workplace safety on offshore rigs
and beefing up standards for equipment. Chief executive officers will
have to certify that their companies comply with the regulations. Drill-
ers will have to provide third-party verification that blowout preventers
are properly designed and can stand up to pressure under all conditions.
Offshore operators remain optimistic about the Gulf. On Oct. 21,
Chevron approved a $7.5-billion plan to develop oil and gas fields in
the GoM. And Royal Dutch Shell says it expects to produce 220,000
b/d of next year in the Gulf.
Suit on drilling rules set for trial
A New Orleans judge will conduct a two-day bench trial next year
in an oil industry lawsuit which claims that U.S. regulators are con-
tinuing to stall deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a Bloomberg report, U.S. District Judge Martin Feld-
man recently held a closed-door meeting with lawyers in three law-
suits challenging the Obama administration’s offshore drilling policy.
After the meeting, the judge said that he would try two of the cases
next year in New Orleans federal court.
“TrialwillcommenceonMonday,July25,2011,at9a.m.withoutajury,’’
Feldman said in a order handed down Nov. 9 regarding a suit brought by
Ensco Offshore Co. against the administration’s second drilling ban.
Feldman also said he would conduct a separate two-day bench tri-
al Oct. 11 on remaining claims in a separate industry lawsuit against
the first U.S. drilling ban, which President Barack Obama imposed
in May after the Deepwater Horizon/Macondo oil spill.
That lawsuit, by Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC, was joined by
the state of Louisiana and more than 200 regional business and trade
groups, who claimed that U.S. Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar
improperly restricted exploration in waters deeper than 500 ft. Feld-
man struck down the initial ban in late June, calling it overly broad
and punitive to the Gulf Coast economy.
After Feldman struck down the first moratorium, Salazar ordered
a second one in July, saying regulators needed more time to study im-
provements to drilling safety and oil spill response capabilities. In Octo-
ber, Salazar rescinded the second ban, saying the industry was meeting
milestones for improving drilling safety and that the sealing of BP’s run-
away well on Sept. 19 had freed up oil spill response capacity.
In his November ruling, Feldman threw out Ensco’s claims against the
second ban, finding that the latest rules lifting the moratorium rendered
the lawsuit moot. Feldman earlier ruled that drilling safety rules Salazar
issued along with the first ban in May should be scrapped as well.
This leaves Ensco’s claims that the U.S. is using its new rules,
including allegedly unlawful permitting requirements, to block the
industry from resuming drilling in the deepwater Gulf.
In the other lawsuit, led by Hornbeck, the trial will consider in-
dustry allegations that regulators are interfering with oil company
leases and exploration contracts, according to court filings.
Apache completes Mariner Energy merger
Apache Corp. says it has completed its merger with Mariner Ener-
gy. The merger closed on Nov. 10 following its approval by Mariner’s
stockholders and subsequent completion of documentation. Apache
issued approximately 17.5 million shares of its common stock and
paid approximately $800 million in cash to Mariner stockholders.
Apache also assumed Mariner’s debt with current fair value of ap-
proximately $1.6 billion. As a result of the merger, former Mariner
stockholders own approximately 5% of Apache’s outstanding shares
of common stock. At a special meeting, 79% of Mariner’s stockhold-
ers voted to approve the merger.
“The Mariner merger – along with our $7-billion acquisition of
BP’s upstream operating regions in the Permian basin, Canada, and
Egypt, and our earlier $1 billion acquisition of Devon’s Gulf of Mexi-
co Shelf assets – will provide Apache with a rich inventory of growth
and value-enhancement opportunities for years to come,” said G.
Steven Farris, Apache’s chairman and CEO.
At year-end 2009, Mariner had estimated proved reserves of 181
MMboe (47% liquid hydrocarbons) in the Gulf shelf and deepwater,
onshore Gulf Coast, Permian basin, and unconventional onshore
plays, as well as unbooked resource potential of 2 Bboe. Mariner’s
deepwater portfolio includes 125 blocks, seven discoveries in devel-
opment – including interests in the world-class Lucius and Heidel-
berg discoveries – and more than 50 prospects. During the third
quarter, Mariner produced 51,348 boe/d. ᶁ
The Mariner Energy merger is expected to provide Apache Corp. with
a rich inventory of growth opportunities for years to come, including
Mariner’s deepwater portfolio of 125 blocks and more than 50 prospects.
Photo courtesy Apache Corp.
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© 2010 Halliburton. All rights reserved.
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S U B S E A S Y S T E M S Gene Kliewer • Houston
Grenland Group wins FMC contract
Grenland Group is to deliver one integrated template structure
and one manifold for FMC Technologies at Kongsberg. The total
weight for the delivered structures will be approximately 350 metric
tons (386 tons).
FMC has an agreement with Statoil to deliver subsea production
systems to the Katla field in water depths of approximately 950 ft
(290 m) in the Norwegian North Sea.
Grenland’s work will be done mostly in Tønsberg. Anticipated
contract value for Grenland Group will be around $6.7 million.
Planned construction start is December this year, and the delivery
of the system is planned in 3Q 2011.
Brazil update
Some news seems to come out of Brazil every week, and the past
weeks are no exception. Shell, as operator of the BC-10 Phase II
offshore Brazil in the Campos basin, has contracted Oceaneering
International Inc. to supply umbilicals for the project.
The order is for hybrid subsea pump and steel tube production
control umbilicals totaling approximately 30 km (19 mi) in length
and associated hydraulic flying leads. These umbilicals will support
subsea development of the Argonauta O-North field consisting of
seven production and four injection wells, in water depths ranging
from 4,900 to 6,500 ft (1,494 to 1,981 m).
Papa Terra BV has contracted Technip to supply Integrated Pro-
duction Bundles (IPBs) for the Papa-Terra field. This field is in 1,200
m (3,937 ft) in the Campos basin, 110 km (68 mi) offshore Brazil.
The contract includes the engineering, procurement, manufac-
ture, and supply of 27 km (16 ¾ mi) of IPB risers and flowlines, and
an electrical and monitoring module for
the P-63 FPSO.
The IPB will be designed to increase
the temperature of the produced fluid
after long shut-downs in order to reduce
its viscosity and enable production re-
start. Papa-Terra is a heavy-oil field. A
new monitoring system using distrib-
uted temperature sensor (DTS) technol-
ogy has been developed for this applica-
tion and will be used for the first time.
Technip’s operating center in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, will perform this con-
tract. Delivery of the modules and the
IPBs are scheduled for 1Q 2012 and 4Q
2012, respectively.
GE Oil Gas is getting into the Brazil
action, too. It has two contracts totaling
more than $120 million from Daewoo
Shipbuilding Marine Engineering Co.,
Ltd to supply a BOP stack and controls for a Petroserv-owned drill-
ship destined for Brazil.
GE also will supply two complete drilling packages to be installed
on Odebrecht Oil Gas owned drillships, each including a 10,000-ft
(305 m) riser system, BOP stacks, and controls.
GE Oil Gas manufacturing plants in Houston, Texas, and Singa-
pore will jointly manufacture the equipment, with deliveries sched-
uled between October 2010 and November 2011.
Ezra Holdings Litd has signed a $250-million deal with Aker So-
lutions AS (Aker Solutions), a subsidiary of Oslo Bors-listed Aker
Solutions ASA. Under a conditional agreement with Aker, Ezra will
acquire 100% of the company’s wholly-owned SURF (subsea umbili-
cals, risers, and fFlowlines) and floater installation unit, Aker Marine
Contractors (AMC). The transaction is expected to be completed
during 1Q 2011.
Ezra and Aker Solutions will also enter into a 50/50 joint venture
to own and charter of the AMC Connector, a newly commissioned
state-of-the-art multi-purpose construction vessel valued at $300 mil-
lion. The AMC Connector is scheduled for delivery in early 2012 and
has already has a long-term charter. Currently AMC operates two
vessels, the Boa Deep C and Boa Sub C.
With AMC’s experienced personnel, assets, and project execution
capabilities, the new partnership says it has made a significant step
towards developing a world-class SURF and floater installation com-
pany. In addition, Ezra will access Aker Solutions’ subsea and other
products to create a combined EPCI capability.
“AMC is a strong engineering and project execution organiza-
tion,” says Øyvind Eriksen, executive chairman, Aker Solutions. “By
becoming part of Ezra, AMC will have access to a larger and rapidly
growing fleet of installation vessels covering all IMR and SURF in-
stallation segments – including flexible and rigid pipelay with capac-
ity up to 3,500 m (11,483 ft) water depth – which will enable Ezra/
AMC to compete with the world’s leading SURF contractors.”
Ezra and AMC initially will operate five construction and SURF
installation vessels, and say they intend to grow 10 differentiated
vessels from 2013. Ezra also operates approximately 30 anchor han-
dling tugs, anchor handling tug supply, and diving support vessels,
and two accommodation barges.
TDW completes hot tap in Nile Delta
T.D. Williamson SA reports successful completion of a hot tap op-
eration on a gas pipeline in the Nile Delta, Egypt.
Williamson’s project for operator Petrobel on behalf of Eni SpA was
at the 140-ton Temsah Concession pipeline end manifold (PLEM) that
connects four pipelines ranging from 14
in to 32 in (35.5 cm to 81 cm) in diameter.
Petrobel decided to use the by-pass ap-
proach to replacing the PLEM by creat-
ing an alternate export pipeline network
connecting the production platform to a
subsea isolation valve and thence to the
32-in export line.
Phase I of the project involved laying
an additional subsea line from the plat-
form to the alternate network. This line
was connected by live welding of a hot
tap tee at a pipe operating pressure of
106 barg.
Phase II consisted of plugging all the
lines after shutting down the platform.
Williamson did this using its STOPPLE
plug technology to isolate several lines,
making it unnecessary to flood the net-
work.
All lines were isolated. A 14-in. line was isolated with the tradi-
tional STOPPLE plugging method, while a 24-in. line and a 32-in. line
were isolated with TDW’s folding STOPPLE plugging technology.
This method was used for several reasons: the smaller size of the hot
tapping equipment makes it faster to operate subsea, the equipment
weighs less, and it reduces intervention time. The folding technol-
ogy also provided a better seal performance at the considered delta
pressure, between water pressure (8.5 barg) and pipe pressure (12
barg). Overall, TDW carried out three hot tap operations, ranging
from 14 to 24-in., and installed STOPPLE plugging heads ranging
from a 14 to 24-in. x 32-in.
During each of the subsea hot tap operations, technicians were
in continuous communication with the divers, who were monitored
via live images broadcast to a computer monitor located onboard a
dedicated remotely-operated vehicle (ROV). ᶁ
As a result of the work that TDW carried out on the Temsah
Concession pipeline network, Petrobel was able to resume
production, and gas flowed once again through the new
central PLEM.The new PLEM is shown here as it is mobi-
lized for installation.
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V E S S E L S , R I G S , S U R F A C E S Y S T E M S Bruce Beaubouef • Houston
DnB NOR Markets says that newbuild vessel orders post-crisis not alarming.
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
Fleetcount
1965-2008
2009
2010E
2011E
2012E
%ofAsiatotheworld
New orders post crisis 107 newbuilds
New orders post crisis
Year built
Source: ODS-Petrodata, DnB NOR Markets
Oct. 2010 dataJan. 2009 data Aggregate fleet count, Jan. 2009 data Aggregate fleet count, Oct. 2010 data
Offshore supply market looks
promising, says report
The DnB NOR Markets research firm has
released its “Offshore Supply Sector Update,”
with detailed analysis of several offshore sup-
ply service and vendor companies. In gen-
eral, the study finds that fundamentals in the
offshore supply sector have improved since
3Q 2010. Going forward, the firm says that
it expects to see pick up in rates and activity.
DnB NOR Markets says its investment case
is anchored on relatively comfortable oil price
level; growth in EP spending in 2010/2011;
not overly aggressive incremental newbuild
orders in 2011 and 2012; and existing new-
build rigs (OSVs needed to support these
units) coming into the market in 2010-2012.
The firm says that it still sees an oversup-
ply situation, with excess vessel capacity in
the market, but adds that it expects higher
demand to absorb this enlarging fleet. It also
says that it expects to see higher demand for
specialized vessels, instead of multi-purpose
large vessels, due to the higher rates required
to earn decent returns on these vessels.
Petrobras awards $3.46
billion in FPSO contracts
Petrobras, together with partners BG, Galp
Energia, and Repsol, and through its Tupi-BV
and Guará-BV affiliated companies, has signed
two contracts totaling $3.46 billion with the Bra-
zilian company Engevix Engenharia S.A. for the
construction of eight FPSO hulls to be used in
the first phase of the production development
for the pre-salt area in the Santos basin.
Petrobras says the units are part of the
new strategy for the construction of produc-
tion units designed to simplify projects and
standardize equipment. Producing identical
hulls in series will accelerate the construc-
tion phase and allow economies of scale and
cost optimization, the company says.
Each FPSO will be able to process up to
150,000 b/d of oil and 6 MMcfd of gas. All
are expected to start operating by 2017 and
to reach the production targets set in Petro-
bras’ business plan for the pre-salt area. The
company expects the FPSOs to add about
900,000 b/d of oil to domestic production
when operating at maximum capacity.
The hulls will be built at the Rio Grande
Naval Pole (state of Rio Grande do Sul), with
local content expected to reach around 70%.
The first steel shipments will take place in
January 2011, and hull constructions will start
in March. The first two hulls will be delivered
in 2013, and the others in 2014 and 2015.
Of the eight units, six will be operated by
the consortium formed for block BM-S-11,
where the Tupi and Iracema areas are locat-
ed. The two others will be operated by the
consortium formed for block BM-S-9, where
the Guará and Carioca fields are located.
Seadrill commits
to further drillships
Seadrill has contracted Samsung to build
up to four new ultra-deepwater drillships at
its yard in South Korea.
The first two drillships are firm orders due
for delivery in 1Q and 2Q 2013. The project price
per rig is estimated at just below $600 million –
this includes a turnkey contract with the yard,
project management, drilling and handling tools,
spares, capitalized interest, and operations prep-
arations. The option for two further drillships
must be declared during 1Q 2011.
The new drillships will be operable in water
depths up to 12,000 ft (3,657 m), and will pro-
vide a hook load capability of 1,250 tons. Main
target areas are the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, and
West Africa. Seadrill adds they will be the first
newbuilds outfitted with a seven-ram configu-
ration of the BOP stack.
Seadrill says it has opted to expand its fleet
because of the current strength of the offshore
drilling sector, the return it believes these invest-
ments can deliver, and the financial flexibility
created by its contract backlog ($11.5 billion).
COSCO delivers
new heavy-lift vessel
COSCO Corp.(Singapore) Ltd. says it has
delivered a newbuild 30,000 dwt heavy-lift
carrier vessel. The buyer is a joint venture of
China and Poland. The Chipolbrok Star is 199.8
m (656 ft) long, 27.8 m (91 ft) wide, 15.5 m (51
ft) high, has a draft of 10.3 m (34 ft), and navi-
gation speed of 10.2 knots.
SeaDragon I sets Singapore
construction marks
The SeaDragon I ultra-deepwater semisub-
mersible drilling rig, the largest ever com-
pleted in Singapore, set several milestones
for Jurong Shipyard, the company says.
SeaDragonI, the first of two Moss Maritime
CS50 MK II design DP-3 vessels ordered by
SeaDragon and to be managed by Vantage,
is the first in its class to be built from a six-
column bare-deck hull, according to the Sem-
bcorp Marine subsidiary Jurong Shipyard.
The semi is harsh-environment capable,
and can drill to 35,000 ft (10,668 m) and oper-
ate in 10,000 ft (3,048 m) water depth. Delivery
is scheduled for early next year following final
commissioning and acceptance testing.
Floatel takes second
accommodation semi
Keppel FELS has delivered its second semi-
submersible accommodation rig to Floatel In-
ternational, 63 days ahead of schedule.
The Floatel Reliance is contracted to Petro-
bras for five years, with operations due to
start early in 2011. The rig will be wet-towed
from Singapore to Rio de Janeiro, with the
journey set to take up to 65 days.
Rowan takes first
of three N-Class jackups
Keppel FELS has delivered Rowan Viking,
the first of three KFELS N-Class jackups it is
building for Rowan Co.s. The rig, based on the
proprietary KFELS N-Class design, is the larg-
est jackup constructed in Singapore.
The KFELS N-Class jackup, which has an
overall height of 568 ft (173 m), and extendable
to 598 ft (182 m), is designed to operate in harsh
weatherconditionsinwaterdepthsrangingfrom
400-500 ft(122-152 m), 40% deeperthan thecapa-
bility of traditional units in benign waters.
It can drill to subsurface depths of 35,000 ft
(10,668 m), which Keppel FELS says is 15% deep-
erthan standard harsh environmentjackups.
The KFELS N-Class jackup also can be con-
figured to drill in two positions concurrently, 26
ft (7.9 m) apart. This capability allows the jack-
up to accept process modules for production
activities while performing drilling activities at
the secondary cantilever position.
Construction of the other two new rigs, the
RowanStavangerandRowanNorway,isonschedule
withdeliveriesscheduledfor1Qand2Q2011.ᶁ
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D R I L L I N G P R O D U C T I O N Eldon Ball • Houston
2011 and beyond
It’s December and that can only mean that
Santa Clause has again left us a generous
supply of industry forecasts in our Christmas
stocking – lots of new predictions to mull
over while waiting in the check-out lines.
So without further delay, let’s unwrap this
year’s holiday surprises.
Wood Mackenzie says that capital spend-
ing on upstream activities such as drilling and
production will increase substantially in many
global regions over the next three years, but
maybe not so much in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a recent report, Wood Mack-
enzie estimates that upstream capital spend-
ing will total more than $380 billion in 2010,
about $19 billion higher than last year but still
almost 10% below the historical peak of 2008.
More upstream spending is ahead, they say,
predicting that upstream spending in the US
will climb to around $95 billion in 2013 from
a low point of $63 billion in 2009. Even more
spectacular growth is expected in Australia
(up 190%) and Iraq (up 1,700%), they say.
However, future investment levels in the
deepwater Gulf of Mexico will be greatly in-
fluenced by policy changes over the coming
months, the report states. Higher costs will
likely result from the imposition of stricter
regulations and a number of marginal fields
may become sub-economic, the analysts note.
Some US Gulf of Mexico development plans
are likely to be abandoned or delayed, the ana-
lysts say, resulting in a less aggressive invest-
ment schedule than was previously forecast.
Elsewhere, they see spending as increas-
ing significantly in many parts of the globe.
“It is clear from our understanding of op-
erators’ plans in the autumn of 2010, that con-
fidence has returned to many regions and
sectors of the industry, although this effect
is far from consistent across the world,” says
Iain Brown, Wood Mackenzie’s Regional Up-
stream research manager.
Wood Mackenzie’s forecast in included in its
latestresearchreport,“OntheRebound–Glob-
al Upstream Spending Returns to Growth.”
“Even mature provinces such as the UK
are anticipating a resurgence in invest-
ment,” the report states, “potentially to high-
er levels than before the economic crisis.”
“More than half of future upstream invest-
ment will be provided by the multi-national
majors and a range of prominent national oil
companies (NOCs),” they report. “PetroChina
has by far the largest upstream commitment
amongsttheNOCs,anditsspendingplansrank
with the largest of the international majors.”
If recent momentum is maintained, Wood
Mackenzie says, capital expenditure should
recover to pre-crisis levels by 2012. In such
circumstances, upstream spending looks
set on a relentless upward path through to
the end of the decade, producing more oil
and gas, with the average cost of a barrel, or
cubic foot, increasing steadily year-by-year,
they say.
However, the analysts expect a slowdown in
capital spending to continue in regions such as
Canada, where upstream spending fell by 30%
in 2009 and, while investment levels have stabi-
lized, they may not return to the peak levels of
2008 within the next five or even 10 years. For
more information, go to www.woodmac.com.
Global recovery
Not to risk becoming the wallflower at the
Christmas Predictions Ball, the Global En-
ergy Resources group of Deloitte Touche
Tohmatsu Ltd. has published its predictions
for the year ahead. Admitting that “predic-
tions by themselves are not facts” but can be
helpful when formulating strategy, Deloitte
nevertheless foresees a more robust global
economy for 2011 accompanied by increase
vigor in the oil and gas sector.
“As the fog lifts over the global economy,”
Deloitte says, “a recovery is clearly under-
way in places as disparate as China, the Unit-
ed States, Brazil, Australia, and India. Other
markets are showing signs of recovery and
there is no significant economy that remains
mired in recession.”
Most importantly, Deloitte notes the grow-
ing importance of the role of technology in
achieving success in the oil and gas sector.
“Technology,” they say, “remains a critical
component in petroleum exploration and pro-
duction (EP) operations. From seismic sur-
veys to deepwater drilling and artificial intelli-
gence, the operations of today’s oil companies’
exploration and production departments re-
semble a vibrant, high-tech nerve center easily
mistaken for use in deep space exploration.”
Although the oil and gas industry has his-
torically supported technology development,
at no time in the past have the complexities of
exploration in remote, deeper and geographi-
cally challenging locations been as high as to-
day, says Deloitte. As an example, they cite the
development of an innovative seabed drilling
rig by Statoil and Stavanger-based Seabed Rig.
“The drilling equipment features a pat-
ented encapsulated design,” Deloitte notes,
“which allows it to withstand extreme condi-
tions and be remotely control from a surface
vessel. The rig began testing this summer
and is like to see action in deepwater and
Arctic seas soon. The new rig development
is part of a strategy that seeks to break down
the drilling process into steps, analyzing
them for optimization and comparing per-
formance at individual rigs.”
You can view the full report by visiting www.
deloitte.com/energypredictions2011.
$7.4 billion for FLNG
Finally, Douglas-Westwood forecasts that
the floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG)
business is poised for substantial growth,
particularly within the liquefaction sector,
and will be worth $7.4 billion by 2017.
In its new report, “The World FLNG Mar-
ket Report 2011-2017”, the energy analysts
address both the floating regasification and
the floating liquefaction vessel markets and
quantify the size of the opportunity in vol-
ume and value.
According to Douglas-Westwood, the In-
ternational Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts
that annual growth in natural gas supply will
average 1.7% from 2009 to 2030. By 2030,
Douglas-Westwood reports, natural gas will
account for 23% of total worldwide primary
energy supply. For information, go to publi-
cations@dw-1.com. ᶁ
Decommissioning outlook
Finally, Deloitte teamed up with energy analysts Douglas-Westwood for a look at
the future of decommissioning of offshore structures.The result – the UKCS Offshore
Decommissioning Report 2010-2040 by Douglas-Westwood and Deloitte’s Petroleum
Services Group – focuses on the expenditure required to carry out this work, “provid-
ing essential information for decision-makers in oil companies and contracting and
supply industries, government departments and financial institutions.”
The decommissioning of offshore oil and gas platforms, the report finds, is becom-
ing increasingly important, at least in the UK sector of the North Sea, as many UKCS
fields are approaching end-of-life. In fact, the analysts say, “more than 260 will have
to be wholly or partially removed from UK waters over the next 30 years.”
The report presents two scenarios.The first scenario presents a ‘business as
usual’ situation whereby existing heavy lift vessels are used to carry out decommis-
sioning projects.The second assumes a step change in offshore lifting technology
and the development of super heavylift vessels (SLVs) that are capable of lifting
upwards of 15,000 tons at a time.The bottom-up Douglas-Westwood cost forecast
is generated from these scenarios and, the report authors say, covers all decommis-
sioning aspects from the plugging and abandonment of subsea wells to onshore
deconstruction and recycling. “Attention is also paid to specialist equipment require-
ments and the locations to which decommissioned infrastructure can be sent for
disposal, re-use and/or recycling,” says the report. For information, contact publica-
tions@dw-1.com.
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G E O S C I E N C E S Gene Kliewer • Houston
Accra survey area offshore Ghana.
The SEG Foundation Program “Geoscien-
tists without Borders” was one winner in an
event sponsored by ION at the SEG annual
meeting. Kate Readio was the other winner.
ION raised almost $2,000 for the SEG
program that aims to connect communities
around the world which could benefit from
the help of applied geophysics projects.
The program has been involved in projects
ranging from addressing a rural India water
supply shortage to helping Jamaica prepare
for an earthquake.
ION’s event offered as a prize for a tax-
exempt donation a vintage 1978 Raleigh
bicycle refurbished by Brad Coram, ION
Sensor sales manager in the Netherlands.
Coram “recycles” old frames from donor bicycles into fixed-
gear show bikes. Coram has done this for other such charitable
projects. He strips the bike of any parts and paint, then makes
sure the frame is correct and adds paint and running gear.The
result is a one-of-a-kind, high-end, fixed-
gear show bike.
Readio, who won the bike, is the general
manger for Nature’s Own in Boulder, Colo-
rado. As an enthusiastic runner, cyclist, and
cross-country skier, Readio makes a perfect
winner.
Funded by the SEG Foundation and
supported by donations, the mission of
Geoscientists without Borders is “to con-
nect universities and industries with com-
munities in need through projects using
applied geophysics to benefit people and
the environment around the world.”
GWB has current projects under way in
Australia, Northern Thailand, India, Hondu-
ras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Romania, and South Africa.
For more on the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Annual
Meeting, please see page 54.
Exploration attention increases in Africa
Total has agreed with Yam’s Petroleum to acquire 60% interest
in the Cl-100 license 100 km (62 mi) southeast of Abidjan, Côte
d’Ivoire, in water depths of 1,500 m to 3,100 m (4,921 ft to 10,171 ft).
Total says Yam’s Petroleum has done initial 3D seismic work and
a new 1,000 sq km (386 sq mi) 3D program is planned to cover the
remaining area of the license. Drilling is to start in 2012.
“This is a promising area whose geological objectives are similar
to that of major discoveries that have been made in the neighboring
blocks in Ghana,” says Marc Blaisot, senior VP, Geosciences, Total
Exploration Production.
Total becomes operator of the 2,000 sq km (722 sq mi) license
with Yam’s Petroleum retaining 25% and Côte d’Ivoire’s national oil
company, Petroci, holds 15%.
CGGVeritas says is has completed successfully a broadband
marine project offshore Gabon for Total. The BroadSeis project
achieved a bandwidth of 2.5 to 150 Hz.
The process “delivers the highest bandwidth images available
today and the additional low-frequency signal below 5 Hz provides
greater penetration and hence better signal-to-noise ratio for deep
targets,” said Benoît Ribadeau-Dumas, executive VP, Marine, CG-
GVeritas. “The very high-resolution images achieved by BroadSeis
have been able to reveal important geologic features such as thin
beds, stratigraphic traps and potential shallow hazards that were not
visible in conventional data.”
Tap Oil Ltd. now plans acquisition of a 3D seismic survey starting
in December over its offshore Ghana acreage following the prom-
ise of added potential in deeper waters highlighted in an earlier 2D
study.
Tap says interpretation of the 2D data indicated potentially signifi-
cant structural trends and several stratigraphic features similar to oth-
er producing areas along the West African transform margin. Rather
the more 2D acquisition as required in the agreement, the decision
was made to go directly to 3D to move the area into a “drill-ready”
status. Then, plans are to start drilling in late 2011 or early 2012.
At the end of the survey, which will cover an approximately 1,230
sq km (475 sq mi), approximately 80% of the permit will be covered
by new or reprocessed 3D seismic data, according to Tap.
The offshore contract area, southeast of Ghana’s capital Accra,
covers an area of 2,000 sq km (772 sq mi) in water depths ranging
from less than 50 m (164 ft) to greater than 2,500 m (8,202 ft).
The Petroleum Agreement between Tap Oil (Ghana) Ltd. with
36% and its Joint Venture partners, the Republic of Ghana and the
Ghana National Petroleum Co. with 10%, AFEX Oil (Ghana) Ltd. at
27%, and Challenger Minerals (Ghana) Ltd. with 27%.
Technology upgrades
Austin GeoModeling has released Recon 4.0, its Windows Desk-
top. The Automated 3D geological interpretation software now han-
dles larger data sets, has a new user interface, and extends OS sup-
port. AGM says the release reaches into the gap between seismic
and 3D modeling software.
RECON 4.0 supports both Windows and Linux operating sys-
tems. Increased performance gives faster computational and visu-
alization speed to the Cascade Technology embedded in RECON
to deliver instant re-calculation and visualization of structure and
attributes when new data is added or edited.
Kongsberg Seatex, Kongsberg Maritime’s specialist in position
reference systems and attitude determination, is deploying full-scale
over PGS vessels the eBird lateral steering equipment for streamer
control.
PGS will use eBird technology on a Ramform vessel equipped
with its latest 3D GeoStreamer technology. eBird is a novel bird so-
lution for lateral, vertical, and roll streamer control in marine seis-
mic acquisition. ᶁ
SEG fund-raiser by ION supports Geoscientists without Borders
Brad Coram of ION shows off
his restored bicycle.
Gas field
Oil field
Tap permits
Pipelines
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T O P 5 P R O J E C T S
Perdido advances deepwater
GoM production possibilities
Project features first spar wet tree
direct vertical access wells in waters more than a mile deep
L
ocated in an isolated, ultra-deep sector
of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), Shell’s
Perdido is the world’s deepest off-
shore oil drilling and production plat-
form. Moored in 2,450 m (8,000 ft) of
water in Alaminos Canyon block 857, the
Perdido development opens up a new fron-
tier in deepwater oil and gas production, and
represents a number of firsts in the offshore
oil and gas industry. These include:
• First commercial production from the
Lower Tertiary reservoir in the Gulf of
Mexico
• First full host subsea separation and
boosting in the Gulf of Mexico, remov-
ing about 2,000 psi of backpressure
from the wells
• First spar wet tree direct vertical access
(DVA) wells in water more than 2 km
(1.2 mi) deep.
Perdido is also the world’s deepest direct
vertical access spar, and the facility acts as
a hub for and enables development of three
fields – Great White, Tobago, and Silvertip.
It gathers, processes, and exports produc-
tion within a 48-km (30-mi) radius. Tobago,
in roughly 2,925 m (9,596 ft) of water, will be
the world’s deepest subsea completion. The
project is operated by Shell Oil Co., which
owns 35%; with Chevron (37.5%) and BP
(27.5%) owning the remaining interest.
Production from the Perdido develop-
ment began in March, and is expected to
ramp up to annual peak production of more
than 100,000 boe/d.
Strategic development
When Shell acquired the ultra-deepwater
leases for Perdido in 1996, the technology to
develop them did not exist. A large tension
leg platform – common on other deepwater
developments – would not work at Perdido
because of the extreme water depths. What-
ever floats on the surface has to support the
weight of everything below. In Perdido’s
case, just the weight of the mooring lines,
risers, and other equipment hanging from
the platform would be overwhelming.
Engineers also had to design for the higher
crushing pressures of depths greater than
9,000 ft, and other environmental forces such
as storm-driven waves, hurricane-force winds,
and the Gulf of Mexico’s strong loop currents.
There are as many as 35 wells in the Perdi-
do development plan. Twenty-two are direct-
ly under the spar. A conventional deepwater
production system would require 22 risers
with all their associated bulk and weight. An-
other 13 will be offset wells with tiebacks to
the host platform.
The subsea system
Two related technologies make the sub-
sea portion of the Perdido project viable: the
subsea boosting system, and a surface blow-
out preventer for drilling and completing the
direct vertical access subsea wells.
Hardware on the seabed
The core of Perdido’s subsea boosting sys-
tem (SBS) is a cluster of five vertical gas-liq-
uid cylindrical cyclonic (GLCC) separators.
The body of each separator is a heavy pipe,
35-in. (89-cm) diameter and 350 ft (107 m)
long. Production from all of the wells comin-
gles in these vessels. The primary function of
the caissons is to provide a surge volume for
the separated production liquids. The passive
system relies on centrifugal force to separate
gas and liquids as they swirl down the outer
walls of the caisson.
All but the uppermost portion of the sepa-
rator is inserted into the seabed. A 1,600-hp
electric submersible pump (ESP) is deployed
inside, near the bottom of the vertical caisson.
At the top of the separator, just above the
mud line, sits a two-story tall inlet assembly.
Above that, a 17-ft-long (5-m-long) reducer
Bruce Beaubouef
Managing Editor
Heerema Marine Contractors installs the Perdido Spar using its installation vessel Balder. Photos
courtesy Shell Oil Co.
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______________________________________

brings the diameter of the pipe down to 14 in.(35.5 cm), matching
the diameter of the riser. From there, the riser extends some 7,800
ft (2,377 m) to the Perdido spar.
Each caisson’s inlet assembly connects to the host through a top-
tensioned riser that contains three separate flow paths. The outer
annulus of the riser carries the relatively dry gas. The middle an-
nulus carries produced liquids, which are pushed to the surface by
the power of the ESP at the bottom of the separator caisson, and a
small diameter pipe in the center carries liquid sent down from the
surface to prime and cool the submersible pump. The 14-in. riser
allows direct vertical access to the boosting pump at the bottom of
the caisson.
Subsea trees and manifolds
The new standard tree system developed for Perdido incorporates
Shell’s experience with previous deepwater installations as well as
some recent innovations. The new system is rated for 10,000 psi and
10,000-ft water depths. It has a retrievable flow module that contains
both a multiphase flow meter and a choke. The tree’s modular de-
sign allows it to be configured for the requirements of the field, and
its compact, lightweight components make it easier to service and
deploy than previous systems.
All of Perdido’s wells are being drilled either from the spar itself,
or from moored or dynamically positioned floaters with single or
dual derrick systems. That difference in drilling systems led to
some variety in the way the subsea trees were installed.
The idea of using wet-tree wells with direct vertical access from
the spar helped minimize the size of the host platform. All of the
drilling, completion and subsequent maintenance of the spar’s 22
wells can be completed using the onboard rig. The rig is held in
a fixed position over a well by adjusting the mooring lines on the
spar. Tension on the mooring lines can be adjusted to reposition the
rig over a different slot. This system is significantly less expensive
than using a fifth-generation floating rig to complete and service the
wells.
FMC Technologies supplied the subsea completion and subsea
processing systems. The scope of supply included 17 subsea trees
rated for 10,000 psi; two subsea manifolds; five subsea caisson sepa-
ration and boosting systems; topside and subsea controls; and re-
lated subsea equipment.
The Noble Clyde Boudreaux semisubmersible
drilling rig traveled approximately 580 mi. to reach
the Perdido regional development spar.
A key advantage of the Perdido project was the plan to drill as many
wells as possible from the host platform, rather than from mobile
deepwater vessels – a move that saved money and time, and allowed
engineers to learn more about the producing zones. Illustration courtesy
of FMC Technologies.
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Spar production platform
Shell has more than 30 years of success in
the design, fabrication, installation, and op-
eration of the world’s most advanced deep-
water systems. Perdido is Shell’s first spar
host drilling and production platform – a
system selected because of the extreme wa-
ter depths, the nature of the reservoirs and
remoteness of the field.
Technip was announced as the spar and
mooring contractor in April 2006 and began
working on a detailed design in June. An en-
gineering, procurement, and construction
contract was awarded to Technip USA in
November 2006 for the design, fabrication,
and dry transport of the spar and mooring
system for the Perdido development.
Heerema Marine Contractors was named
in the spring of 2006 as the primary trans-
portation and installation contractor. It was
a critical step because the finished spar and
topsides would have to be designed to fit
the capacities of the available transport and
installation vessels. To complete Perdido,
Shell needed two of the largest installation
vessels in the world: Hereema’s Balder for
the spar and Thialf for lifting and setting the
single-lift topsides.
Perdido’s spar includes a cylindrical up-
per section (the hard tank), a trussed mid-
section of tubular legs and braces, and an
enclosed octagonal bottom section (soft
tank) to contain the fixed ballast. The outer
diameter of the hard tank is 118 ft (36 m),
which was small enough to allow offshore
Perdido is Shell’s first spar host drilling and
production platform – a system selected because
of the extreme water depths, the nature of the
reservoirs, and remoteness of the field.
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______________

Petrochemicals catalog xxdx

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