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Anadarko Finds High Quality Oil in Gulf of Mexico
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) today announced its Phobos-1 well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico encountered approximately 250 net feet of high-quality oil pay in Lower Tertiary-aged reservoirs.
“Our 2013 Gulf of Mexico exploration program is off to an outstanding start, as Phobos marks our third significant deepwater success this year,” Anadarko Sr. Vice President International and Deepwater Exploration Bob Daniels said. “Phobos is our first well in the previously untested Sigsbee Escarpment area of the Gulf of Mexico and successfully tested a significant four-way structure in the Lower Tertiary. Phobos’ close proximity to our Lucius project is expected to further enhance the economics of this potential future development.”
The Phobos discovery, located in Sigsbee Escarpment block 39, was drilled to a total depth of 28,675 feet in approximately 8,500 feet of water, approximately 11 miles south of Anadarko’s Lucius discovery, which is under development. Anadarko currently is incorporating the data from the Phobos well to determine future activities.
Anadarko is the operator of the Phobos discovery with a 30-percent working interest. Other co-owners in Phobos are Plains Exploration & Production Company with a 50-percent working interest and Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) with a 20-percent working interest.
Gulf of Mexico: Anadarko’s Lucius Spar En Route
Last Friday, Technip and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation held the Lucius Spar sail away ceremony.
The christening ceremony took place in Technip’s yard in Pori, Finland. Thierry Pilenko, Technip’s Chairman and CEO, as well as Anadarko’s Senior Vice President for International and Deepwater Operations, Doug Lawler, and Anadadarko’s Vice President for Worldwide Projects, Don Vaderman, were present to celebrate the event. The 23,000-ton Spar will be on its way to the US Gulf of Mexico in coming weeks.
Upon arrival on the location the spar will be moored at the Lucius project in approximately 7,100 feet (2,165 meters) of water depth in the US Gulf of Mexico, with first oil being scheduled in 2014.
The Lucius truss spar floating production facility will have a nameplate capacity of 80,000 barrels of oil per day and 450 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
This Spar is the fifteenth delivered by Technip. The Lucius production unit will be jointly owned by Anadarko (35%), Plains E&P (23.3%) ExxonMobil (15%) Apache (11.7%), Petrobras (9.6%) and Eni (5.4%).
Technip has already delivered 6 Spars to Anadarko: Neptune, Nansen, Boomvang, Gunnison, Red Hawk and Constitution.
Anadarko’s Lucius Spar En Route to Gulf of Mexico| Offshore Energy Today.
Anadarko Orders Spar Hull from Technip for Heidelberg Field (USA)
Technip received instructions from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to begin the engineering, construction and transport of a 23,000-ton Truss Spar hull for their Heidelberg field development. This field is located in the US Gulf of Mexico, at a water depth of 1,620 meters (5,310 feet).
The Letter of Intent allows Technip to begin construction work on the project and other early works including purchase of long-lead items for the hull and start of fabrication, in advance of the expected project sanctioning around mid-2013, after which it will enter into Technip’s backlog.
The Heidelberg Spar will have a capacity of more than 80,000 barrels of oil and 2.3 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.
Technip’s operating center in Houston, Texas will provide the overall project management and engineering. The detailed hull design and fabrication will be carried out by Technip’s construction yard in Pori, Finland where most of Technip’s Spar projects have been manufactured.
David Dickson, Technip’s Senior Vice President, North America Region, has declared: “Technip is really proud to have received this Letter of Intent. Not only does it strengthen our long-lasting relationship with Anadarko but it also confirms its continuous trust in the Group’s extensive know-how and expertise in Spar technology. After Lucius, awarded last year and currently being built in our yard in Pori, Heidelberg will be the 8th Spar delivered by Technip to Anadarko.”
The Heidelberg Spar will be the 17th delivered by Technip (out of 20 worldwide) and thus demonstrates the Group’s leadership for this kind of floating platform and ability to tackle ultra-deepwater developments. It also confirms Pori’s track record expertise and great capabilities to deliver state-of-the-art platforms.
Anadarko Orders Spar Hull from Technip for Heidelberg Field (USA)| Offshore Energy Today.
Enbridge to Build Crude Oil Pipeline in US GoM
Enbridge Inc., announced that it will build, own and operate a crude oil pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico to connect the proposed Heidelberg development, operated by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, to an existing third-party pipeline system.
The lateral pipeline is expected to be operational by 2016. Construction of the pipeline is subject to finalization of definitive agreements and sanction of the development by Anadarko and its project co-owners.
The Heidelberg lateral will originate in Green Canyon Block 860, approximately 200 miles southwest of New Orleans and in 5300 feet of water. The pipeline will be 20 inches in diameter and approximately 34 miles in length.
“We are pleased to be working with Anadarko and the Heidelberg producers,” said Leon Zupan, President, Gas Pipelines. “The Heidelberg lateral pipeline is an attractive investment opportunity for Enbridge. It also furthers our objective of diversifying our offshore business to include facilities that support the substantial crude oil discoveries in the deepwater of the US Gulf Coast.”
Enbridge’s offshore pipelines transport approximately 40 per cent of the natural gas produced in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The company’s offshore assets include interests in 13 natural gas gathering and transmission pipelines and one crude oil pipeline in five major pipeline corridors off the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Subsea World News – Enbridge to Build Crude Oil Pipeline in US GoM.
- Enbridge to build crude oil pipeline in Gulf of Mexico (transportationandstorage.energy-business-review.com)
- Enbridge not threatened by rival’s eastern oil pipeline (cbc.ca)
Worldwide Field Development News Aug 10 – Aug 16, 2012
This week the SubseaIQ team added 4 new projects and updated 29 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.
N. America – US GOM
Teikoku Oil Acquires Lucius Stake
Aug 15, 2012 – Inpex Corporation announced that through its subsidiary, Teikoku Oil, it has agreed to acquire a 7.2 percent participating interest in the Lucius project which includes portions of Keathley Canyon blocks 874, 875, 918 and 919 in the deepwater of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, from a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. After the joint venture agreement is finalized, the Lucius project will continue to be operated by Anadarko with a 27.8% participating interest, with the following companies participating: Plains (23.331%), Exxon Mobil (15%), Apache (11.669%), Petrobras (9.6%), Inpex (7.2 %) and Eni (5.4%). Anadarko and co-ventures made a Final Investment Decision (FID) to develop this project in December 2011, and the first production of crude oil and natural gas is expected to start in the latter half of 2014. Crude oil and natural gas pumped from the Lucius project will be processed with a truss spar floating facility with the capacity to produce in excess of 80,000 bopd and 450 MMcf/d. Processed crude oil and natural gas will then be exported to onshore facilities in Louisiana via a subsea pipeline.
Project Details: Lucius
Newfield to Explore Dalmatian South in GOM
Aug 13, 2012 – Murphy Oil announced plans to drill two to four exploration wells in 2012 and 2013 in DeSoto Canyon Block 134 in the Gulf of Mexico. The company is targeting various Miocene prospects, including the Dalmatian South prospect, which is very similar to their 2010 Dalmatian North discovery. Furthermore, Murphy has received official sanction of a three-well subsea tie-back of the Dalmatian field to the Petronius compliant tower production platform.
Project Details: Dalmatian South
BMT to Supply EFMS for Big Foot TLP
Aug 10, 2012 – Chevron has awarded a contract to BMT Scientific Marine Services to provide an Environmental and Facilities Monitoring System (EFMS) for the Chevron-operated Big Foot tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico. The EFMS monitors, logs and displays data in real-time on the local environment and facility motions. It archives the data for assessing the TLP’s integrity over time and interfaces with the facility’s other platform control systems. Big Foot is currently under development and is expected to commence production in 2014.
Project Details: Big Foot
Australia
3D Oil to Explore Sea Lion Prospect Offshore Australia
Aug 15, 2012 – 3D Oil Limited announced plans to explore its Sea Lion prospect in permit area VIC/P57 offshore Australia. The prospect has prospective resources of 20.7 million barrels of oil in the same reservoir units as West Seahorse.
Project Details: Sea Lion (3D Oil)
3D Oil Moves Forward with West Seahorse Development
Aug 15, 2012 – 3D Oil has agreed to a $28 million farm-in deal with Hibiscus Petroleum to allow the progression of the West Seahorse development in permit VIC/P57, offshore Victoria. The agreement is subject to approval from Hibiscus’ shareholders and the Foreign Investment Review Board. It also requires a waiver from the Australian Securities Exchange. Under the agreement, Hibiscus will take a 50.1 percent operating stake in VIC/P57. The funding from Hibiscus will be used to kick-start the development of the West Seahorse oil field, which involves the drilling of up to two appraisal wells. In addition, the joint venture is exploring the possibilities of building a mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) and a floating, storage and offtake tanker, which will be moored to a buoy.
Project Details: West Seahorse
Aug 10, 2012 – NZOG stated that after an extensive technical review the joint venture partners of PEP 38259 in the Canterbury Basin have agreed that the permit will be relinquished back to the Crown. NZOG holds a 40% stake in PEP 38259 with Beach Petroleum (NZ) Pty Ltd holding 35% and AWE New Zealand Pty Ltd 25% respectively.
Project Details: Barque
Africa – West
Subsea 7 to Supply, Install Subsea Components for Lianzi Development
Aug 16, 2012 – Subsea 7 has won a contract to supply and install subsea components for the development of the Lianzi field offshore Congo and Angola. The contract’s technical specifications include a 12-inch wet, insulated production flowline with direct electrical heating that will set a record for the deepest electrically-heated pipe. A part of the contract will be designed and fabricated in Luanda, with additional work carried out roughly 200 miles (322 kilometers) away in Lobito by Subsea 7’s Angolan joint venture. All flowlines will be spooled to the Seven Oceans rigid reel-lay ship at Subsea 7’s Luanda base. The $2 billion development will include a subsea production system and a 27-mile (43-kilometer) electrically heated flowline to transport the oil from the field to the BBLT platform. First oil is expected in 2015.
Project Details: BBLT
Europe – North Sea
EnQuest Working Through Kraken Concept Selection Phase
Aug 16, 2012 – EnQuest reported that during the first half of 2012, the company has been working through the concept selection phase of the Kraken development, with significant technical facilities and subsurface work underway. New 3D seismic survey material has been acquired, with initial interpretation nearing completion. The project remains on track for FDP submission in 1H 2013.
Project Details: Kraken
Ithaca Completes Drilling of Hurricane Well
Aug 15, 2012 – Ithaca Energy has completed the drilling of the Hurricane appraisal well in the Greater Stella area of the Central North Sea and is now proceeding to conduct a drill stem test. The Hurricane well (29/10b-8) was drilled to a total measured depth of 10,779 feet (3,285 meters) to appraise hydrocarbon bearing sands in the eastern lobe of the Hurricane structure closure. Logs indicate that the well has encountered hydrocarbons, which Ithaca said could be liquid-rich gas, in both the Rogaland and Andrew sands. Pressure and fluid sampling has been undertaken across both reservoir and sand intervals, and an initial DST will be conducted over the Andrew sand interval. Ithaca stated that the overall development work program for its Stella and Harrier fields were progressing as planned, with all major operational contracts in place following the Technip contract.
Project Details: Stella/Harrier
Apache Appraises Aviat Gas Discovery
Aug 13, 2012 – Apache is using the Rowan Gorilla VII (450′ ILC) to drill its Aviat appraisal well. This appraisal well is designed to assess whether this shallow gas field can provide fuel to operate the Forties Field to offset diesel import. Drilling is expected to take a little over three months.
Project Details: Aviat
Aug 13, 2012 – RWE Dea has delivered first gas from the Clipper South development in the UK sector of the North Sea. The field contains around 13.4 Bcm of gas in place. The first Clipper South well came on stream at initial rates of 1.2 MMcm/d with production expected to peak at 2.8 MMc/d in early 2013. The gas is located in a tight Permian age Rotliegend reservoir which contains about 3.4 Bcm of gas in place. The Clipper South Gas field lies in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) blocks 48/19 and 48/20, 62 miles (100 kilometers) east of the Lincolnshire coast. Gas from the Clipper South platform is transported about 9 miles (15 kilometers) to the Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System (LOGGS) and then about 62 miles (100 kilometers) to the onshore Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal in Lincolnshire, where the gas enters the UK grid.
Project Details: Clipper South
Heerema to Fabricate, Commission Topsides for Cygnus Development
Aug 13, 2012 – Heerema Fabrication Group has received a frame contract from GDF Suez E&P UK for the fabrication and commissioning of four topsides for the Cygnus gas field development in the UK sector of the North Sea. Fabrication of the Cygnus Alpha Wellhead topsides is due to start in December 2012 with completion scheduled for March 2014. This is to be followed by expected commencement of fabrication in June 2013 of the Cygnus Alpha processing & utilities module, bridges and flare as well as the Cygnus Bravo Wellhead topsides — all scheduled for completion in April 2015. Subsequently in December 2013, the fabrication of the Cygnus Alpha compression module will start, which will also be ready for installation onto the PU topsides in 2015.
Project Details: Cygnus
Aug 13, 2012 – Eni has commenced drilling of well 7220/10-1 in PL 533 at the Salina prospect (formerly Pulk) in the Barents Sea. The main objective of the well is to prove the presence of hydrocarbons in the reservoir.
Project Details: Salina
Det norske Comes Up Dry in Ulvetanna Prospect
Aug 13, 2012 – Det norske is in the process of completing the drilling of well 3/4-2S on the Ulvetanna prospect. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Cretaceous reservoir rock. The estimated main reservoir, the Tor formation, was encountered in the well, but contained no hydrocarbons. The Ulvetanna prospect is situated in PL 356 in the southern part of the North Sea in 167 feet (51 meters) of water.
Project Details: Ulvetanna
Lundin to Recommence Drilling Operations at Albert in 3Q 2012
Aug 10, 2012 – Lundin Petroleum reported that the Bredford Dolphin (mid-water semisub) is slated to return to the Albert field location (PL 519) in 3Q 2012 to finish drilling operations. The exploratory well was spud and temporarily suspended in June because the semisub needed to be reclassified. The main objective of the well is to test the Cretaceous and Triassic age sandstones of a multiple target structure.
Project Details: Albert
DONG Continues with Oselvar Development
Aug 10, 2012 – DONG Energy is continuing to develop the Oselvar field, in Production License 274, in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Production from the field commenced in April, but the production ramp up has been slower than expected, stated Noreco, a partner in the field. The third and final production well was completed and tested in June, and the drilling rig has left the location. The field is currently producing from two wells and the third well is expected to come online during 3Q 2012. Thus far, the field has produced on average of 3,608 boepd.
Project Details: Oselvar
S. America – Venezuela
Perla to Hit 300MMcf/d by 2014
Aug 16, 2012 – Petroleos de Venezuela expects to reach its goal of producing about 300 MMcf/d of natural gas at its Perla field by 4Q 2013. Dow Jones reported that PdVSA had pushed back the estimated start of production at Perla to the first quarter of 2013 from its earlier estimate of the end of this year. It didn’t cite a reason for the delay.
Project Details: Perla
S. America – Brazil
Statoil Selects RDA for Peregrino FEED Work
Aug 16, 2012 – Statoil has selected RDS to perform the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for a fixed drilling rig, which will be part of the Peregrino phase II project. Peregrino commenced production in March 2011 and produces about 75,000 bopd.
Project Details: Peregrino
Petrobras Drills Ahead in Carcara to Determine Total Thickness of Oil Reservoir
Aug 15, 2012 – Petrobras is currently testing the Carcara prospect, exploratory well 4-SPS-86B (4-BRSA-971-SPS), on Block BM-S-8 in the ultra-deep waters of the pre-salt area in the Santos Basin. The operator is inside the oil zone at a depth of 20,384 feet (6,213 meters) to determine the total thickness of the oil reservoirs, as well as the presence of deeper pay zones. Oil samples were collected at a depth of 20,115 feet (6,131 meters), which have proven a good 31 degree API oil quality, stated the operator. The well has also proven that the carbonate reservoirs carry outstanding porosity and permeability characteristics. The in-progress drilling has confirmed over 1,312-foot (400-meter) column of oil, featuring mostly continuous and connected reservoirs.
Project Details: Carcara
Related articles
- Gulf of Mexico: INPEX Buys Lucius Stake (USA) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Worldwide Field Development News Aug 3 – Aug 9, 2012 (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Recap: Worldwide Field Development News Jul 27 – Aug 2, 2012 (mb50.wordpress.com)
- McDermott Bags Offshore Installation Gig in U.S. GOM (mb50.wordpress.com)
- WWCS, DOF Subsea Conduct Subsea Services in US Gulf Of Mexico (mb50.wordpress.com)
Gulf of Mexico: INPEX Buys Lucius Stake (USA)
INPEX CORPORATION has through its subsidiary, Teikoku Oil (North America) Co., Ltd., it has agreed to acquire a 7.2% participating interest in the Lucius project which includes portions of Keathley Canyon blocks 874, 875, 918 and 919 in the deepwater of the U.S.Gulf of Mexico, from a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Anadarko), an American independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company.
After the joint venture agreement is finalized, the Lucius project will continue to be operated by Anadarko with a 27.8% participating interest, with the following companies participating:
Plains (23.331%), Exxon Mobil (15%), Apache (11.669%), Petrobras (9.6%), INPEX (7.2 %) and Eni (5.4%).
The Lucius project is located offshore approximately 380km southwest of Port Fourchon, Louisiana with a water depth at approximately 2,160m. Anadarko and co-venturers made a Final Investment Decision (FID) to develop this project in December 2011, and the first production of crude oil and natural gas is expected to start in the latter half of 2014.
Crude oil and natural gas pumped from the Lucius project will be processed with a truss spar floating facility (Spar) with the capacity to produce in excess of 80,000 barrels of oil per day and 450million cubic feet of natural gas per day. Processed crude oil and natural gas will then be exported to the onshore facilities in Louisiana via a subsea pipeline.
INPEX has participated in oil and gas development projects in the shallow waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. In February 2011, INPEX also participated in the Walker Ridge 95/96/139/140 Blocks in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The participation in the Lucius project will enhance INPEX’s experience and expertise of the operation in the deepwater projects and contribute to continuous enhancement of its E&P activities as one of the measures for growth as described in “Medium- to Long-Term Vision of INPEX.”
INPEX will be expanding its exploration, development and production activities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
INPEX Buys Lucius Stake (USA)| Offshore Energy Today.
- McDermott Bags Offshore Installation Gig in U.S. GOM (mb50.wordpress.com)
- USA: Statoil Secures 26 New Leases in Gulf of Mexico (mb50.wordpress.com)
- WWCS, DOF Subsea Conduct Subsea Services in US Gulf Of Mexico (mb50.wordpress.com)
Another Gas Discovery for Anadarko Offshore Mozambique
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation today announced the Atum exploration well discovered another significant natural gas accumulation within the Offshore Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin.
The Atum discovery well encountered more than 300 net feet (92 meters) of natural gas pay in two high-quality Oligocene fan systems. Preliminary data indicates this latest discovery is connected to the partnership’s recent Golfinho discovery located approximately 10 miles (16.5 kilometers) to the northwest in the Offshore Area 1.
“The combined success at Atum and Golfinho and apparent connectivity of these Oligocene fan systems, indicate these discoveries represent our partnership’s second major natural gas complex offshore Mozambique,” said Sr. Vice President, Worldwide Exploration Bob Daniels. “We estimate this new complex, which is located entirely within the Offshore Area 1 block, holds 10 to 30-plus trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of incremental recoverable natural gas resources. We plan to immediately commence a four-well appraisal program of this complex, which has the potential to underpin a large LNG development.”
The Atum exploration well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 12,665 feet (3,860 meters), in water depths of approximately 3,285 feet (1,000 meters). Once operations are complete at Atum, the partnership plans to commence appraisal activities that are expected to be followed by a drillstem testing program in the Golfinho and Atum complex.
“With this latest discovery at Atum and a successful upcoming appraisal program, we believe the total estimated recoverable natural gas resource in Mozambique’s Offshore Area 1 is between 30 and 60 Tcf, and the current upside for total gas in place for the discovered reservoirs on the block is approaching 100 Tcf. We still have additional exploration opportunities that could expand the resource potential further,” said Anadarko President and CEO Al Walker. “A recoverable resource base of this scale supports our initial two-train development plans, as well as significant future expansions. Our current activity is focused on achieving reserve certification and a Final Investment Decision in 2013, as the partnership works toward expected first sales of LNG in 2018.”
Anadarko is the operator in the Offshore Area 1 with a 36.5-percent working interest. Co-owners include Mitsui E&P Mozambique Area 1, Limited (20 percent), BPRL Ventures Mozambique B.V. (10 percent), Videocon Mozambique Rovuma 1 Limited (10 percent) and Cove Energy Mozambique Rovuma Offshore, Ltd. (8.5 percent). Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos, ep’s 15-percent interest is carried through the exploration phase.
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Dolphin Secures Cash for Bolette Dolphin Drillship (Norway)
Dolphin International AS, a subsidiary of Norway’s Fred. Olsen Energy ASA , has signed a new five year bank credit facility of up to $1.5 billion.
The company will use the money to prepay existing bank loans, full-finance the newbuild Bolette Dolphin drillship and for general corporate purposes. The facility is provided by 12 international banks and GIEK/Eksportfinans.
The 6th generation drillship, under construction at Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in South Korea, is expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2013. It will be able to operate in water depths of 12.000 feet (3660 m), and equipped for a maximum drilling depth of 10,000 feet (3050 m). Total project cost is estimated at $650 million.
After the delivery, the vessel will sail away to Mozambique to work for Anadarko under a contract signed in November 2011. The drillship, of Gusto P10000 design, has been chartered on a four-year drilling contract at a rate of approximately $488.000 per day.
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