Gulf of Mexico: Balltec to Supply Subsea Mooring Connectors for Tubular Bells Project

Balltec Ltd, Morecambe,UK, has been contracted by Houston Offshore to supply and install 10 off MoorLOK™ subsea mooring connectors for the Tubular Bells project, located in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico.

The contract covers the manufacture of 10 off 15,000kN MoorLOK™ connectors for the mooring of the Williams floating production system (FPS), Gulfstar GS1 on the Tubular Bells field at a water depth of 4,500ft. The connectors will be manufactured in accordance with the ABS Guide for the Certification of Offshore Mooring Chain, 2009, and are due to be installed during the first half of 2013.

Martin Bell, Sales and Marketing Director at Balltec Ltd said:

‘Balltec is proud to have been awarded this significant mooring connector contract. The Tubular Bells project has been under development for some time and we are very much looking forward to working with Houston Offshore Engineering and Williams to play our part in bringing this project to first oil.’

Russell Benson, Managing Director, Balltec Ltd said:

‘The award of the Tubular Bells mooring connector package is another significant contract gain in 2012. With Tubular Bells and several other projects due to be completed next year as well as new products ready to be launched, 2013 is going to be another exciting year for Balltec.’

The Balltec MoorLOK™ is a disconnectable, subsea mooring connector designed for the temporary and permanent mooring of floating structures.

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USA: Technip Rings Tubular Bells

Technip has received a lump sum contract by Hess Corporation for the development of the Tubular Bells field, located in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico at a water depth of approximately 4,500 feet (1,370 meters).

The contract covers the design, engineering, fabrication and subsea installation of more than 28 miles (45 kilometers) of flowlines, steel catenary risers, pipeline end terminations, piles and structures.

Technip’s operating center in Houston, Texas will perform the overall project management. The flowlines and risers will be welded at the Group’s spoolbase in Mobile, Alabama.

Offshore installation is scheduled to be completed with the Deep Blue, one of Technip’s deepwater pipelay vessel, during the first half of 2013.

On October 25, 2011, Hess announced it would proceed with the development of the Tubular Bells field. Total estimated recoverable resources for Tubular Bells are estimated at more than 120 million barrels of oil equivalent. The development is estimated to cost $2.3 billion.

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USA: Alliance Engineering to Design Topsides for Tubular Bells Field Spar Platform

Alliance Engineering, a subsidiary of Wood Group, has been awarded the detailed engineering and design of the topside facilities and deck for Williams Partners’ Gulfstar FPS™ spar production platform. This wet-tree platform will be installed in block 768 of the Gulf of Mexico’s Mississippi Canyon area to produce oil and gas from the Tubular Bells field, which is owned by Hess Corporation​ (Operator) and Chevron U.S.A. Inc.

The Gulfstar spar platform will be located in 4,300 feet of water and designed to process 60,000 barrels of oil per day and 200 MMscf of gas per day. The single-lift topsides will have three deck levels and include processing equipment, seawater injection equipment, utilities, an accommodation building with helideck, and pumping and compression equipment to export the treated oil and gas through departing pipelines. The completed deck will weigh approximately 7,000 short tons. Initial production is scheduled to commence in 2014.

“Alliance has been working with Williams Partners to develop their standard Gulfstar floating production system concept (FPS),” said Edmund Lunde, president of Alliance. “With concept development and FEED completed, we are pleased to continue working with Williams Partners on the detailed design of their first Gulfstar FPS. We are confident Williams, Hess and Chevron will benefit from our focus, skill, and experience in developing the Tubular Bells topsides.”

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Hess to spend $2.3 billion to develop Gulf of Mexico oil field

Hess Corp., the New York-based oil company, will develop its Tubular Bells deep-water field in the Gulf of Mexico at an estimated cost of $2.3 billion.

Production is expected to begin in 2014 and may peak at the equivalent of 45,000 barrels of oil a day, Hess said in a statement today. Subject to U.S. approval, Hess said it will own 57 percent of the field, with Chevron Corp. holding the remainder. BP Plc no longer owns a stake in the project.

Tubular Bells holds an estimated 120 million barrels of oil, Hess said. Plans call for three wells in the field, which lies as much as 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) below the surface about 135 miles southeast of New Orleans, the company said.

The field will be predominantly oil with “good, attractive returns, even though the costs per well have gone up a little bit with the new government regulations,” John Hess, chairman and chief executive officer of the company, said in a Sept. 8 speech.

The U.S. government imposed new drilling rules after a BP well in the Gulf last year had the biggest offshore oil spill in the nation’s history.

Hess fell 2 percent to $59.81 at 11:21 a.m. in New York. The shares have declined 22 percent this year.?

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