Worldwide Field Development News Nov 10 – Nov 16, 2012

This week the SubseaIQ team added 3 new projects and updated 19 projects. You can see all the updates made over any time period via the Project Update History search. The latest offshore field develoment news and activities are listed below for your convenience.

Australia

Maari Partners to Buy Raroa FPSO

Nov 15, 2012 – OMV New Zealand, on behalf of the Maari field partners, announced the intent to exercise the option to purchase the Raroa FPSO. Since 2009 the Maari partners have leased the Raroa from Tablelands Development Ltd. Included in the lease is an option to buy the vessel after the fourth contract year at a pre-agreed buy-out price. Ownership of the FPSO will give the group the flexibility to refurbish and make upgrades as needed throughout the life of the field. Ownership transfer will be effective as of March 8, 2013. Additionally, MODEC Management Services has been awarded an operations and maintenance services contract for the Maari field through 2017 with options to extend in two year increments. MODEC currently operates 15 FPSOs worldwide.

Project Details: Maari

Drilling Commences at Zephyros-1

Nov 13, 2012 – Joint Venture partner Karoon Gas Australia announced the spudding of Zephyros-1, an exploration well in permit WA-398-P. The well is being drilled on the border of a large tilted fault block and will test the presence, quality and extent of reservoirs in the Plover formation. ConocoPhillips, the operator, has contracted the Transocean Legend (mid-water semisub) to carry out the drilling program which includes a minimum of 5 wells and will continue through 2013. Zephyros is the second well to be drilled and follows the highly successful Boreas-1 well. The remaining wells will be announced as they reach joint venture approval.

Project Details: Zephyros

Asia – Far East

WZ6-12 Development Nearing Completion

Nov 13, 2012 – Roc Oil continues to drill successful wells in the WZ6-12 development area offshore China. Its latest well, WZ6-12-A7, reached a total depth of 8,720 feet while targeting the Sliver and Liushagang prospects. Just over 34 feet of net oil pay was encountered within the Sliver prospect. Liushagang yielded 259 net feet of water wet sands with up-dip potential remaining. A 7″ liner will be set to allow future completion and tie-in to production facilities. Based on the recent drilling results the company is re-examining the area for additional exploration potential. At least two development wells will be needed before the field can be brought online. First oil is still planned for early 2013.

Project Details: Beibu Gulf

S. America – Other & Carib.

BPZ Ready to Flip Switch at Corvina

Nov 13, 2012 – Development drilling in BPZ Energy’s Corvina field will soon begin from the newly installed CX-15 platform. The Peruvain Ministry of Energy and Mines granted the company an environmental permit which cleared the way for drilling and eventual operation of all production and injection facilities on the platform. The current plans call for the Petrex-28 rig to be mobilized to the platform with the first well being spud in December 2012. Production of first oil is expected to take place in 1Q 2013.

Project Details: Corvina

Europe – North Sea

Voyageur Spirit Completing Commissioning Process

Nov 16, 2012 – The Voyageur Spirit FPSO has been on location at the Huntington field in block 22/14b in the UK North Sea since early October undergoing hook-up of risers and completion of commissioning. An exact date of start-up activities has not been set as it is dependent upon favorable weather and the timing of first oil which has been pushed back from 4Q 2012 to 1Q 2013. Prior to being towed to location, the Voyageur Spirit underwent upgrades at the Nymo shipyard in Norway to prepare for Huntington.

Project Details: Huntington

Subsea 7 Wins Martin Linge SURF Contract

Nov 16, 2012 – Total E&P Norge awarded a subsea, umbilical, riser and flowline (SURF) contract worth almost $800 million to Subsea 7 for development activities at the Martin Linge gas field in the Norwegian North Sea. Under the contract, Subsea 7 will provide engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the subsea facilities associated with the field. Engineering and project management are expected to commence immediately with offshore operations forecasted to begin in the spring of 2014. Contract duration is estimated at 4 years.

Project Details: Martin Linge (Hild)

Gudrun Platform Deck Arrives in Norway

Nov 16, 2012 – Production from the Statoil-operated Gudrun field in the Norwegian North Sea is expected to begin during 1Q 2014. The company is a step closer to its start-up goal with the arrival of the production platform’s deck from Aibel’s construction yard in Thailand. The topsides components, which include the operations deck, living quarters, platform modules and helideck, will now be assembled on land. Once complete the unit will be taken via heavy lift vessel to the Gudrun field and attached to the jacket structure which has already been installed. Installation of the deck topsides is expected to take place in the summer of 2013.

Project Details: Sleipner Area

Providence Announces Drombeg Potential

Nov 14, 2012 – Providence and its partner Sosina recently completed a potential resource assessment and major seismic inversion program over its Drombeg prospect in the southern Porcupine Basin offshore Ireland. Analysis results indicate recoverable P50 prospective resource potential of 872 MMbo within Drombeg and a new target identified below the main prospect. Additional Lower Cretaceous seismic anomalies have been identified both laterally offset to and vertically stacked with Drombeg which provide further resource potential. Supplemental data and 3D seismic of the area will be needed to accurately evaluate the true potential of Drombeg.

Project Details: Dromberg

Antrim Inks FPSO Agreement for Fyne

Nov 14, 2012 – A Heads of Terms agreement was signed between Antrim Energy and Hummingbird Production Limited, a subsidiary of Teekay Corporation, for an option to lease the Hummingbird Spirit FPSO for the development of the Fyne field in UK North Sea block 21/28a. The agreement will be subject to approval of a Field Development Plan which Antrim (operator) must submit to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change no later than January 2013. First oil is tentatively expected in 4Q 2014 contingent upon timing of the redeployment of the FPSO from its current work location. Results from well 21/28a-11, drilled earlier this year, have increased Fyne 2P reserve estimates to 11.7 million barrels of oil.

Project Details: Fyne

Shell Acquires Additional Stake in Schiehallion

Nov 14, 2012 – Shell and Murphy Oil signed an agreement whereby Shell will acquire Murphy’s 5.9% stake in the Schiehallion field offshore Scotland. The field is located in blocks 204 and 205 of the West of Shetlands area in 1,300 feet of water. Execution of the agreement will bring Shell’s stake in the field to 55%. Partners in the field include BP (operator) with 33.5% and Statoil and OMV, both with 5.9% stakes.

Project Details: Schiehallion (Quad 204)

Major Causeway Milestone for Antrim

Nov 13, 2012 – Antrim Energy announced the start of oil production from the Causeway field in UKCS block 211/23d. Commissioning of the field has commenced with gross production rates of roughly 4,500 barrels per day on a 53% choke. The long horizontal geometry of the well has lead to slow clean-up and is impacting initial flow rates. Electric submersible pumps are expected to contribute to production rates through the first half of 2013. Antrim maintains a 35.5% working interest in the block.

Project Details: Causeway

Ithaca Updates Greater Stella Area

Nov 13, 2012 – Ithaca Energy plans to start its Greater Stella Area (GSA) development drilling program by drilling four production wells at the Stella field starting 1Q 2013 using the Ensco 100 (350′ ILC). Each of the Stella wells is expected to take 90 days to complete. These wells will be tied into the FPF-1 floating production unit which is currently being upgraded at the Remontowa yard in Gdansk. Commissioning of the vessel and hook-up to the GSA production hub is scheduled for 1H 2014. Engineering and construction of the GSA subsea facilities is on schedule with installation to take place throughout 2013. More wells are planned for the Stella, Harrier and Hurricane fields once the four initial Stella wells are brought on line.

Project Details: Stella/Harrier

MidEast – Persian Gulf

Total Extends Al Khalij Involvement

Nov 14, 2012 – Total will continue to operate the Al Khalij field offshore Qatar for the next 25 years thanks to the signing of a Heads of Agreement between Qatar’s Ministry of Energy and Industry, Qatar Petroleum and Total. Qatar Petroleum will maintain a 60% stake in the field while Total will remain the operator with a 40% stake. Al Khalij was discovered by Total in 1991 and production was initiated in 1997.

S. America – Brazil

Petrobras Signs LoI for Iracema Norte FPSO

Nov 15, 2012 – Petrobras and its partners in block BM-S-11 announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with Schahin and MODEC for the charter of an FPSO that will be used for the development of the Iracema Norte area in the Santos Basin. The vessel will be operated by Schahin and MODEC and chartered to the Consortium for a period of 20 years. MODEC is tasked with taking VLCC Alga and converting it into FPSO Cidade de Itaguai MV26 which is to be installed on location in December 2015. Once operational, the vessel will be capable of handling 150,000 bopd, 280 MMscf of gas per day and storing a total of 1,600,000 barrels of liquids. SOFEC, a subsidiary of MODEC, will design the mooring spread that will hold the FPSO on location in 7,349 feet of water.

Project Details: Iracema

Statoil Boosts Peregrino Recovery

Nov 15, 2012 – Statoil is well known for its use of multilateral well technology and has used it extensively on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The company has now taken its expertise to the Peregrino field in block BM-C-7 offshore Brazil. Peregrino was regarded as an oil field with large potential for increased recovery based on already low recovery rates and in-place volumes of nearly 2.3 billion barrels. By using horizontal wells drilled with geosteering technology to optimize placement, water injection and flow assurance measures, the estimated recoverable resources have been increased to the range of 300 to 600 million barrels of oil. To date, the company has drilled 15 production wells of this type at Peregrino and has doubled the expected recovery rate.

Project Details: Peregrino

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