-Platform Sets Sail for Trinidad and Tobago
The platform for the BP Trinidad and Tobago-operated Juniper gas project is on its way for installation 50 mi (80 km) offshore.
The Juniper project comprises a platform made up of jacket, piles, and topsides, and corresponding subsea infrastructure which will be installed in 360 ft (110 m) of water. The Juniper facility will take gas from the Corallita and Lantana fields.
As bpTT’s first subsea field development, Juniper will have a production capacity of about 590 MMcf/d, which will be sent to the Mahogany B hub via a new 10-km (6.2-mi) flowline.
This is the sixth platform that bpTT has fabricated in Trinidad and Tobago. The topsides were fabricated at the TOFCO fabrication yard in La Brea, Trinidad, and measure 145 ft (44.2 m) tall to the top of the helideck and weigh about 5,100 short tons. The jacket and piles, fabricated at Gulf Marine Fabricators in Aransas Pass, Texas, sailed to Trinidad in December 2016. The jacket measures 389 ft (119 m) tall and weighs roughly 5,200 short tons.
The platform installation is being handled by the Thialf, the largest deepwater construction vessel operated by Heerema Marine Contractors.
The Diamond Ocean Victory semisubmersible rig began drilling the five subsea wells in May 2015. First gas is expected this year.
The Juniper project is a $2-billion investment in Trinidad and Tobago and one of BP’s largest start-up projects in 2017.
Norman Christie, bpTT regional president, said: “The Juniper project is significant for both BP and T&T. At the peak of the project, there were over 750 workers on-site at TOFCO -- 95% being Trinidadian and more than half from the surrounding La Brea community.
“The gas from Juniper will be the largest volume of gas brought into the country in several years. I look forward to seeing this project starting up and bringing much needed natural gas that can help alleviate the supply and demand imbalance in T&T.”
Loan for Ghana Subsea Systems
Britain’s export credit agency UK Export Finance (UKEF) will provide $400 million to support a GE Oil & Gas contract for the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) project in Ghana.
Total value of the contract, which will sustain jobs at GE sites in the Aberdeen and Bristol areas, is $850 million.
GE is manufacturing subsea production systems to develop the OCTP oil and gas discoveries 60 km (37 mi) offshore western Ghana. Following start-up in 2018, the fields are expected to continuously supply gas to the country’s thermal power plants for more than 20 years.
This will reduce the country’s reliance on energy imports, at the same time sustaining Ghanaian industrial development.
According to UKEF, it is the first time a European export credit agency has supported a financing structure of this kind, and it is also UKEF’s first direct loan for a project in Africa.
Budget for Norway Offshore Projects
Lundin Petroleum has budgeted $1.3 billion for field development, appraisal, and exploration this year.
Out of the $1.095 billion earmarked for development, around 99% relates to development projects offshore Norway, mainly ongoing activity on Phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup project, development drilling at Edvard Grieg, and further infill wells on the non-operated Alvheim and Volund fields.
Johan Sverdrup accounts for 70-80% of the development outlay, with 2017 set to be the peak year for construction activity. Construction has started on all elements of Phase 1 with the first steel jacket due to be installed offshore this summer followed by the remaining three jackets in 2018.
The riser and drilling platform topsides should be installed in 2018 and the processing and living quarter topsides in 2019.
Eight production wells have so far been completed, with six water injectors scheduled to be drilled this year. The project remains on schedule for first oil in late 2019 and thanks to lower service costs and optimization measures is achieving significant reductions compared to the estimate in the originally submitted development plan.
The Lundin-operated Edvard Grieg which started producing in late November 2015 currently has four producer wells onstream with water injection support from two more wells. Five more development wells (producers and water injectors) are set to be drilled this year, with development drilling likely to be completed in 2018, when 14 producers and water injectors are expected to be in place.
As for the Alvheim and Volund fields, Aker BP plans two infill wells on Volund this year and two more at Alvheim.
Lundin’s Bertam oil field offshore Malaysia, which produces from 12 wells, will undergo facilities improvement works this year. In addition, the company will co-finance one development well in the Dutch North Sea.
CNOOC Expecting More Offshore Startups
CNOOC has outlined its business strategy and development plan for the year ahead.
The company is targeting net production of around 450-460 MMboe, down on last year’s 476 MMboe, and comprising 64% production in China and 36% overseas.
CNOOC has already brought onstream new production offshore China from the Penglai 19-9 oilfield comprehensive adjustment project and the Enping 23-1 oilfields.
Those due to start-up later this year include Phase two of the Weizhou 12-2 oilfield project and the BD gas field offshore Indonesia. Currently, the company has close to 20 projects under construction.
In 2017, it plans to drill 126 exploration wells and acquire around 13,000 sq km (5,019 sq mi) of 3D seismic data, with overall capex for its various programs in the RMB60-70 billion ($8.73-10.18 billion) range.
Capex for exploration, development, and production will account respectively for around 18%, 66%, and 15%.
Crack Forces Maari Wellhead Platform Shutdown
OMV New Zealand has suspended oil production from the Maari wellhead platform (WHP) offshore New Zealand as a precautionary measure while it reviews a crack identified in one of the facility’s horizontal struts.
“The crack is about 1.4 m [4.6 ft] long, on the third level down, and 4 m [13 ft] below the waterline. It…came to light as a result of scheduled underwater checks of the platform which began on November 1,” said Gabriel Selischi, OMV’s SVP for Australasia.
“We have taken expert external advice which confirms there is no risk to people or the environment. There are 12 horizontal struts and the six levels of the structure are supported by four structural legs, consolidated by 20 vertical cross-members. So the platform is very flexible, and has a high level of built-in redundancy.
Level 3 of this platform is the most exposed to the pressures generated by wind and wave action, so that’s why as operator we undertake regular checks.”
OMV was also mindful of bad weather and New Zealand’s heightened earthquake risk.
All 34 staff on the WHP should have departed the facility. All wells have been shut-in.
“Work has started on stabilizing the crack and we are actively monitoring it,” Selischi added. “We’ve engaged specialist advisors to assist in this work, and have been keeping both WorkSafe and Maritime New Zealand fully informed.
“Production was due to be shut in on Dec. 5 in any event to allow for the completion of a water injection flowline installation, so support vessels and equipment will shortly be on hand.”
The Maari field is 80 km (49.7 mi) off the Taranaki coast in water depths of around 100 m (328 ft). OMV operates in partnership with Todd Maari, Horizon Oil International, and Cue Taranaki.