Recap: Worldwide Field Development News (Jun 15 – Jun 21, 2012)

This week the SubseaIQ team added 3 new projects and updated 30 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.

Africa – West

Rialto Recovers Oil, Gas in Gazelle-P3 Well

Jun 21, 2012 – Rialto Energy reported that it has encountered high gas readings and recovered oil and gas samples from the sidetrack of its Gazelle-P3 well. Wireline logs have been taken while further logging with vertical seismic profile and sidewall coring are continuing with completion expected in the next three days. Rialto said the oil and gas samples were recovered from the Upper Cenomanian sands as expected while the gas readings were noted in the Lower Cenomanian. The samples will also be used to assist in the design of the Gazelle field development processing facilities.

Project Details: Gazelle

S. America – Other & Carib.

Chevron Enters Suriname Acreage

Jun 20, 2012 – Kosmos Energy has entered into an agreement with Chevron under which Kosmos will assign half of its interest in Blocks 42 and 45, offshore Suriname, to Chevron. Under the agreement, Kosmos will have a 50 percent working interest and remain operator of both blocks until the end of the exploration phase. Chevron will assume the remaining 50 percent working interest and will become development operator of any commercial discoveries. Blocks 42 and 45 cover an area of about 2.8 million gross acres in water depths ranging between 650 to 8,500 feet (200 and 2,600 meters). First drilling is targeted for 2014.

Asia – SouthEast

Salamander Spuds Bualuang Far East-1 Well

Jun 18, 2012 – Salamander Energy has spud the Bualuang Far East-1 exploration well in Block B8/38, Gulf of Thailand. The Bualuang Far East prospect is located approximately four miles (six kilometers) to the northeast of the Bualuang oil field. The Far East-1 well will be drilled to a total vertical depth of 4,765 feet (1,452 meters) subsea. The primary target is the T5 Miocene sandstones with secondary targets comprising an underlying Permian-age Ratburi carbonate and a T4 Miocene sandstone stratigraphic trap. The main T5 objective has potential mean recoverable resources of 20 million barrels of oil. The well will be drilled by the ENSCO 53 (300??? ILC) jackup and is expected to take about 20 days to complete.

Project Details: Bualuang

Australia

Chevron Sells Interest in Wheatstone to Pan Pacific Energy

Jun 19, 2012 – Chevron has agreed to sell 10-percent participating interest of its Wheatstone field licenses and 8-percent participating interest of its Wheatstone natural gas processing facilities to Japan’s Pan Pacific Energy. Chevron added that Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), one of the stakeholders in Japan’s Pan Pacific Energy K.K, has agreed to purchase an additional 0.4 million tons per annum (MTPA) of liquefied natural gas from the Wheatstone Project for up to 20 years. This new agreement brings Tepco’s total LNG offtake to 4.2 MTPA.

Project Details: Wheatstone

Mediterranean

Noble Suspends Pinnacles Gas Flow

Jun 18, 2012 – Noble Energy has suspended gas flow from the Pinnacles No. 1 well offshore Israel. According to partner Delek Group, this is due to an indication of a gas composition that does not match the specification for flow. The operator plans to examine alternative options including gas treatment to allow the resumption of gas flow.

N. America – US GOM

Cobalt Comes Up Dry iat Ligurian

Jun 15, 2012 – The Ligurian No. 2 well has failed to encounter commercial hydrocarbons and will now be plugged and abandoned after reaching a final depth of more than 30,000 feet (9,144 meters). The ENSCO 8503 (UDW semisub) drilled the well to a total depth of 31,800 feet (9,693 meters).

Project Details: Ligurian

Anadarko Gets Nod to Drill in GOM

Jun 15, 2012 – The BOEM recently approved Anadarko’s permit to drill at its Shenandoah prospect in Walker Ridge Block 51. The permit lists the ENSCO 8505 (UDW semisub) as the rig that will perform drilling operations. The Shenandoah well has a proposed depth of 32,000 feet (9,754 meters) and is located in approximately 5,800 feet (1,768 meters) of water.

Project Details: Shenandoah

Europe – North Sea

Ocean Installer Completes Survey, Intervention Work at Balder

Jun 21, 2012 – Ocean Installer has completed a survey and intervention work at the Balder field. The conducted work encompassed inspection and maintenance of the subsea control system at the field. Balder is located on Blocks 25/10 and 25/11 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea about 118 miles (190 kilometers) west of Stavanger, Norway at a water depth of 410 feet (125 meters).

Project Details: Balder

Providence Pleased with Barryroe’s Core Analysis

Jun 21, 2012 – Providence Resources has completed the core analysis of the reservoir at its Barryroe discovery. The firm said that permeabilities in the basal oil-bearing reservoir interval have exceeded expectations, while good permeabilities have also been confirmed in secondary logged hydrocarbon-bearing sand. The permeabilities in the basal oil-bearing interval confirm the high-productivity nature of this reservoir as observed during well-testing operations, said Providence. The company will provide a revised resource update for Barryroe later this summer.

Project Details: Barryroe

Technip to Construct Subsea System for Boyla Development

Jun 20, 2012 – Technip won a contract for the development of the Boyla field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The $381 million deal with Marathon covers all activities necessary to complete the construction of the subsea system for the field development and connect it to the existing Alvheim subsea facilities. Offshore construction will take place in 2014. The field is to be developed as a subsea tie-back to the Alvheim FPSO, with two production wells and a water injection well. The Boyla field is estimated to hold reserves of 23 million barrels of oil equivalent.

Project Details: Alvheim

Valemon Jacket Delivered and Installed

Jun 19, 2012 – Statoil reported that the Valemon jacket was successfully delivered and installed on the field, which lies in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The 9,000-ton steel jacket was carried out as planned and the project remains on schedule. The jacket, which was built by Heerema Fabrication Group in Vlissingen in the Netherlands, was transported from the shipyard and out to the field by the crane barge Thialf. Development of Valemon involves a fixed platform with a steel jacket for the separation of gas, condensate and water. The rich gas will be transported via a new pipeline to the existing pipeline from Huldra to Heimdal for further processing. The condensate will be piped to the Kvitebj??rn platform for stabilization and further transport via the Troll oil pipeline to the Mongstad refinery. At peak production, Valemon is expected to deliver roughly 86,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The field is expected to come on stream in the fourth quarter of 2014 and has a life expectancy of 11 years.

Project Details: Valemon

North Sea Buzzard Oil Field to Shut Down for 4 Weeks

Jun 15, 2012 – Nexen reported that the Buzzard oil field will have an extended four-week shutdown in the third quarter for the field’s five-year regulatory inspection. The company did not specify when the shut-down will likely occur. Buzzard produces about 200,000 bopd and is the largest oil field that contributes to Forties crude.

Project Details: Buzzard

Statoil Submits PDO for Svalin

Jun 15, 2012 – Statoil has submitted a plan for development and operation for the Svalin field to the Norwegian government and reported it expects to bring the field online in 2013. Recoverable reserves at the field are estimated at around 75 million barrels of oil equivalent, with two structures Svalin C and Svalin M containing similar quantities. The Svalin C and Svalin M discoveries will be developed through a ‘fast-track’ method that uses a standard solution involving processing by existing infrastructure. The Svalin development will be tied-back to the Grane platform. Svalin M will be produced by a well drilled from the Grane platform, while Svalin C will be a subsea development connected via a four-mile long flowline to the Grane platform. The hydrocarbons will utilize shared processing and export facilities. The gas compression facility at the Grane platform will be modified to handle gas from Svalin. Oil from the Svalin development will be transported, along with production from the Grane field, through the existing pipelines for storage and shipment from the oil terminal at Sture.

Project Details: Svalin

Shell Contracts FPSO for Fram Field

Jun 15, 2012 – Shell sent SBM Offshore a letter of interim award (LOIA) for the supply, lease and operation of a FPSO for the Fram field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The LOIA allows SBM Offshore to commence engineering and procurement of long lead items to ensure timely completion of the planned Fram FPSO project, which is subject to a Final Investment Decision. In March 2012, Shell and SBM Offshore signed an Enterprise Framework Agreement (EFA) covering a term of five years, with an option to extend for another five years. The Fram FPSO, subject to a Final Investment Decision, will be the first project to be developed under the terms of the EFA. The hull of the FPSO will be based on a converted Aframax tanker and will incorporate an internal turret permanent mooring system. The crude will be offloaded to shuttle tankers and the gas exported via the existing Fulmar pipeline.

Project Details: Troll Area

N. America – Canadian Atlantic

Statoil Confirms Mizzen Discovery Holds Large Amounts of Oil

Jun 21, 2012 – Statoil has confirmed that it has found between 100 and 200 million barrels of recoverable oil at its Mizzen deepwater prospect offshore Newfoundland. The company stated it is now assessing the discovery to determine how and when it can be economically developed. Statoil discovered oil in 2009 while drilling Mizzen O-16 and appraised the find in late 2011. Statoil plans to drill two new wildcat wells in the area by the end of next year, and potentially additional wells in 2014 and beyond. Mizzen is situated roughly 311 miles (500 kilometers) east of St. John’s in 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) of water.

Project Details: Mizzen

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Israel: Pinnacles Delivers First Gas

Israel’s  Delek Group has been informed by the operator, Noble Energy Mediterranean Ltd., that on June 12, 2012, development of Pinnacles #1 was completed and gas began to flow from it.

Pinnacles offshore well was recently linked by a subsea pipeline to the nearby Mari B production platform. Helix ESG’s reeled pipelay vessel, Express, which in April arrived at the port city of Haifa, Israel, completed the SURF (Subsea Umbilicals, Risers and Flowlines) work.

According to the Israel-based financial newspaper The Globes, Pinnacles well will produce 150 million cubic feet of gas per day.

Noble Energy Mediterranean Vice President Lawson Freeman told The Globes that the company was excited to bring the Pinnacles well on stream. He also added that the company was pushing hard to accelerate the Noa development in the same way.

Development of the Noa field is geared to allow for additional supplies of natural gas to the Israeli market, until the start of natural gas supplies from the Tamar project in early 2013.

Source

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BP Starts Galapagos Development in U.S. GoM

Yesterday BP announced that on June 3, 2012 it began the initial start-up of the Galapagos development in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, one of a series of new major upstream projects that the company expects to bring into production this year.

“The start-up of this project in the Gulf of Mexico is one of BP’s key operational milestones for 2012, one of six high-margin projects we expect to come on stream this year,” said Bob Dudley, BP group chief executive. “I expect that the operational progress we are now making will deliver increasing financial momentum for BP as we move into 2013 and 2014.”

The Galapagos development includes three deepwater fields and increases the capability of a key offshore production hub for BP. The fields – Isabela, Santiago and Santa Cruz – are being produced using subsea equipment on the floor of the Gulf. A new production flowline loop has been added to carry output to the nearby Na Kika host facility, a BP-operated platform located roughly 140 miles southeast of New Orleans in 6,500 feet of water.

The Na Kika facility, with a production capacity of 130,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, has been modified to handle output from the three fields. Full ramp-up of the project is expected around the end of June.

“The Galapagos development marks another significant step forward for BP in the Gulf of Mexico, and reflects the potential we continue to see in this world-class basin, now and in the future,” said James Dupree, Regional President of BP’s U.S. Gulf of Mexico business.

BP’s overall interest in the three-block area that includes the fields comprising the Galapagos project is about 56 per cent. Noble Energy, Inc., Red Willow Offshore, LLC, and Houston Energy, L.P., are co-owners. BP is the operator of the Isabela field, while Noble Energy operates the Santiago and Santa Cruz fields.

The Galapagos development required the installation of new subsea infrastructure, production risers, topsides as well as other modifications.

BP expects to invest at least $4 billion a year on oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico over the next 10 years, following its strategy of focusing investment and future growth around the company’s strengths, including deepwater exploration and development.

“BP’s continuing investment in the Gulf of Mexico is yet another example of our commitment to the U.S. economy and energy security,” Dudley added. “This investment, along with our ongoing commitment to the Gulf Coast region, demonstrates the importance of the U.S. to BP’s long term strategy.”

Source

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PHOTOS: Express installing subsea manifolds « Helix Currents

Photos courtesy of Helix Subsea Construction Field Engineers Robert Bailey & Matt Gonzales.

Taken on board Helix ESG’s pipelay vessel, Express, these photos show two Pipeline End Terminal manifolds (PLETS) as they are hoisted off an adjacent supply boat and lowered down to the seabed.

A PLET is used on one, or both ends of pipelines to provide connection point from the pipeline to existing subsea structures in place.  The existing structure may be a subsea tree, another PLET or a manifold and are connected by a jumper.  The PLETs and other subsea structures have upward looking connectors while the jumpers have downward looking connectors.  This configuration allows the jumpers to be installed using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).

Helix Subsea Construction, a business unit of Helix ESG, is installing this PLET as part of the overall scope of Subsea Umbilical, Riser and Flowline (SURF) work for Noble Energy at the Noa Field, offshore Israel. The field is in approximately 2,556ft of water (779m) and is being developed for natural gas.

Source: PHOTOS: Express installing subsea manifolds « Helix Currents.

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Noble Energy Linking Noa and Pinnacles to Mari B Platform

Noble Energy and Delek Group have started linking Noa and Pinnacles offshore natural gas fields to the Mari B production platform, according to the Israel’s financial newspaper Globes.

Helix ESG’s reeled pipelay vessel, Express, which in April arrived at the port city of Haifa, Israel has started SURF (Subsea Umbilicals, Risers and Flowlines) work.

According to the data on Noble Energy’s website, Noa will, once developed, provide 100 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of production by September 2012.

Development of the Noa field is geared to allow for additional supplies of natural gas to the Israeli market, until the start of natural gas supplies from the Tamar project.

Source

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Recap: Worldwide Field Development News (Feb 17 – Feb 23, 2012)

This week the SubseaIQ team added 14 new projects and updated 47 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.

Mediterranean Northern Petroleum Contracts 3D Surveys for Italy Permits Feb 20, 2012 – Northern Petroleum announced the completion of a 2D seismic survey in late 2011 and has contracted to acquire two 3D seismic surveys on permits F.R39.NP and F.R40.NP, subject to environmental consents. The area is recognized by Northern to be highly potential for the production of both oil and gas with 2P reserves having been independently attributed to the Giove and Rovesti oil discoveries. This view is perhaps reinforced by the recent on-site activities to place the nearby Aquila oil field back into production using a newly converted Floating Production and Storage Offloading vessels, stated the operator. Noble Energy Interprets 2D Seismic Data from Rhone Maritime Concession Feb 17, 2012 – Noble Energy and Melrose Resources are nearing completion of interpreting 2D seismic survey, acquired in early 2010, over the Rhone Maritime concession offshore France. The consortium plans to meet in the coming weeks to review the interpretation and discuss future work plans. The acreage, covering an area of about 3 million acres (12,500 square kilometers) in the Rhone delta in the French Mediterranean, has both Pre-Messinian and Post-Messinian hydrocarbon potential. Africa – West APCL Finds Oil at Narina Prospect Feb 21, 2012 – African Petroleum has made a “transformational” oil discovery at the Narina-1 exploration well in Block LB-09 offshore Liberia. The well was drilled to a total depth of 15,912 feet (4,850 meters), encountering 105 feet (32 meters) of high-quality light oil pay in two separate intervals. The well found 69 feet (21 meters) of pay in good quality Turonian submarine fan system and 36 feet (11 meters) in a deeper Albian sand with secondary potential. At the Turonian level, the well appears to have clipped the edge of a potentially expansive fan system covering an area of 61,776 acres (250 square kilometers). The operator said follow-up appraisal drilling is required to determine field commerciality, but the early indications are extremely positive and, assuming a moderate thickening of the reservoir away from the discovery well, should underpin the pre-drill estimate of 500 MMbbls recoverable. Project Details: Narina Africa – Other Anadarko, Cove Energy Hit Additional Gas Pay in Mozambique Feb 21, 2012 – Anadarko has encountered additional pay at the Lagosta-3 appraisal well — a further 577 net feet (176 meters) of natural gas pay offshore Mozambique. The well found high-quality gas sands not well imaged by seismic data, thus confirming the gas accumulation to the western limits of WLBC gas complex, into what was an unknown area. Anadarko said that pressure readings have confirmed important reservoir continuity of Lagosta 3 to Lagosta 1 and 2, and to the Windjammer/Camarao wells situated further north. The operator is continuing towards making a final investment decision on the development in 2013. Furthermore, the operator is preceding to drill-stem test the Barquentine-2 well and is preparing to drill the Barquentine-4 appraisal well. Project Details: Lagosta Statoil Spies Natural Gas Offshore Tanzania Feb 17, 2012 – Statoil confirmed that the Zafarai-1 well in Block 2 offshore Tanzania has encountered natural gas in a good-quality reservoir. The operator said it is too early to give any indication of size and commerciality. Drilling operations are ongoing and should take about three months to complete. The well is being drilled by the Ocean Rig Poseidon (UDW drillship) to a total depth of 16,900 feet (5,150 meters). Zafarai-1 is the first well drilled in the license, which covers an area of about 1.3 million acres (5,500 square kilometers). The water depth of the site is 8,470 feet (2,582 meters). Project Details: Zafarai N. America – US GOM Apache to Spud Parmer in 2Q12 Feb 22, 2012 – Apache plans to spud the Parmer deepwater prospect, located in the GOM, in 2Q12. The prospect resides in Green Canyon Block 823, which Apache operates with a 50 percent interest. Stone Energy Announces Plans for Pompano Field Feb 22, 2012 – Stone Energy announced its three-year plan for the Pompano field in the GOM, which entails several workover/recompletion projects during 2012, followed by a platform drilling program projected for 2013. Additionally, the three-year plan calls for a drilling program utilizing a floating drilling rig to commence in 2014/2015. The deepwater field commenced production in 1996. Project Details: Pompano Technip to Install Subsea Equipment for Tubular Bells Development Feb 20, 2012 – Hess Corporation has awarded Technip a lump sum contract for the development of the Tubular Bells field in the GOM. 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. Offshore installation is scheduled for completion during the first half of 2013. Project Details: Tubular Bells Anadarko Hits Additional Pay in Heidelberg Feb 17, 2012 – Anadarko Petroleum has successfully appraised the Heidelberg-2 appraisal well, located in Green Canyon Block 903 in the deepwater GOM. Heidelberg-2 encountered about 250 net feet (76 meters) of oil pay in high-quality Miocene sands. The appraisal well was drilled to a total depth of 31,030 feet (9,458 meters) in about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of water, about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) south and 550 feet (168 meters) structurally updip from the Heidelberg discovery well. Log and pressure data from the appraisal and discovery wells indicate excellent quality, continuous and pressure-connected reservoirs with the same high-quality oil. Anadarko plans to immediately sidetrack the well to evaluate the down-dip extent of the field, and plans to initiate pre-FEED activities to prepare for sanctioning a development plan, stated the operator. Project Details: Heidelberg Australia Woodside Hits Gas in Ragnar-1 Feb 22, 2012 – Woodside Petroleum has made a discovery in the Ragnar-1 well offshore Australia in permit WA-430-P. The well intersected 623 feet (190 meters) of gross gas. Europe – North Sea Lansdowne Pleased with Amergin 3D Results Feb 23, 2012 – Lansdowne has interpreted 3D seismic data over its Amergin prospect in the North Celtic Sea basin. The data has confirmed the presence of a robust rotated tilted fault block. The primary targets are for oil in the Cretaceous Basal Wealden sands, which are currently being appraised at the Barryroe 48/24-10Z well some 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the east, and the Upper Jurassic sands that are oil bearing in the Helvick field, 75 miles (120 kilometers) to the northeast. Prospective resource estimates for Amergin have increased from 62 million barrels of oil to 231 Mmbo reflecting additional prospectivity within the Cretaceous Wealdean sands as well as an upgrade to the estimates for the Basal Wealden (an increase of 79 Mmbo to 104 Mmbo) and Upper Jurassic (up by 10 Mmbo to 47 Mmbo). The Amergin prospect lies in License 5/08, which incorporates Blocks 47/25, 48/21 and 48/22. The blocks cover an area of about 110,950 acres (449 square kilometers). Landsowne Oil & Gas operates the license. Project Details: Amergin Nexen Connects Blackbird Umbilical to Aoka Mizu FPSO Feb 23, 2012 – Nexen has successfully connected the Blackbird field umbilical tieback to the nearby Ettrick field’s Aoka Mizu FPSO in the UK sector of the North Sea. First Subsea conducted a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study to assess the ease of retrofitting an Oceaneering Multiflex power umbilical to the underside of the FPSO Aoka Mizu, without the need of a diver. A Type II bend stiffener connector (BSC) was selected to connect the electrical cable umbilical to a 20-inch-diameter J-tube on the FPSO. Project Details: Ettrick Lansdowne Upgrades Midleton Prospective Resources Feb 23, 2012 – Lansdowne has interpreted 3D seismic data over its Midleton prospect in the North Celtic Sea basin. The data has confirmed that Midleton is a four-way dip closed faulted anticline at the primary Lower Cretacous “A” Greensand level. This sand is the main reservoir in the nearby Kinsale Head gas field and the sole producing reservoir in the nearby Ballycotton gas field. Prospective resource estimates for Midleton have increased from 56 Bcf of gas to 268 Bcf, with new potential seen in the Upper Wealden sands (94 Bcf). The primary Lower Cretaceous “A” sand has also been revised upwards from 56 Bcf to 174 Bcf. Project Details: Midleton Technip Bags Compression Contract for Asgard Field Feb 22, 2012 – Technip has received a contract to oversee the marine operations of the world’s first seabed gas compression facility on the Asgard field, which is expected to increase recovery from Mikkel and Midgard by roughly NOK 278 MMbbl of oil equivalents. The contract for marine operations is one of several major contracts awarded in connection with the decision to adopt new technology in order to increase recovery and maintain production on the Asgard field. Asgard seabed gas compression will start up in 2015. Project Details: Asgard Statoil to Use Statfjord B Platform Beyond Design Lifetime Feb 21, 2012 – The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway granted Statoil consent to use the Statfjord B platform beyond its design lifetime. The company has applied for a 20-year lifetime extension from Aug. 31, 2011. Project Details: Statfjord Area Xcite Upgrades Bentley Field’s Oil Reserves Feb 20, 2012 – Xcite Energy has upgraded its oil reserves at the Bentley field, located in the UK sector of the North Sea. TRACS International Consultancy, an independent reserves auditor, estimated that oil reserves of the type 1P, 2P and 3P for the core area of Bentley are approximately 99 million, 116 million and 140 million barrels of oil, respectively. The operator plans to begin developing the field this year, after completing “significant work” in the latter half of 2011 to prepare for the Bentley Phase 1A work program in 2012. The field development plan for Bentley, comprising of Phase 1B and Phase 2, was submitted for approval to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the final quarter of 2011. Project Details: Bentley North Sea Islay Production To Start In March Feb 20, 2012 – Total expects to start gas production at the Islay field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea next month, reported Dow Jones Newswires. Islay will connect to the Alwyn facility and is expected to produce at a production rate of 2.5 MMcm/d plus associated condensates. Project Details: Greater Alwyn Jette Ready and Awaiting Development Feb 17, 2012 – Det norske received approval to proceed with the development of Jette, which contains 14 million barrels of oil equivalents, based on a 30 percent recovery rate. Daily production during the first year will constitute approximately 14,000 barrels. The estimated development costs of Jette amount to approximately 2.5 billion NOK. Production is scheduled to commence during Q1 2013. The field will be developed and operated by Det norske with day-to-day operations overseen by ExxonMobil. Det norske???s partner in the Jette development is Petoro. Project Details: Jette (Jetta) Black Sea ExxonMobil, OMV Potentially Find Large Gas Pay in Black Sea Feb 22, 2012 – ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania and OMV Petrom SA have made a potentially “significant” gas discovery in the Black Sea, offshore Romania. The Domino-1 exploration well encountered 232 feet (70.7 meters) of net gas pay, resulting in a preliminary estimate for the accumulation ranging from 1.5 to 3 Tcf or 42 to 84 Bcm. Drilling operations started at year-end 2011 and the total depth of the well is expected to be more than 9,843 feet (3,000 meters) below sea level. The consortium is planning new 3D seismic acquisition during 2012 with the results from the seismic study and evaluation of drilling to determine the next needed steps. Project Details: Domino Melrose Plans to Conduct 2D, 3D Survey Offshore Romania this Summer Feb 17, 2012 – Melrose Resources received tenders from 12 contractors for the acquisition of 559 miles (900 kilometers) of 2D seismic data and 321,237 acres (1,300 square kilometers) of 3D seismic data on the Muridava and Est Cobalcescu blocks, situated offshore Romania. The contract is expected to be negotiated and awarded by the end of March with a view to acquire the survey over the summer months. Melrose acquired the blocks in March 2011. Melrose Resources Processing, Interpreting 3D Seismic Data at Galata Block Feb 17, 2012 – Melrose Resources is processing and interpreting new 3D seismic data acquired over the Galata block offshore Bulgaria, which is expected to be completed by the end of April 2012. The data will be used to update the prospect and lead inventory and to help formulate future drilling plans for the central area of the concession. The Galata Block houses the Galata and Kaliakra fields in the Black Sea. Project Details: Galata Area

Source

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USA: Anadarko Contracts ENSCO 8506 Semi

Ensco plc has entered into a contract for ENSCO 8506 semisubmersible drilling rig with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. The initial contract term is for two and one-half years in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico at a day rate of $530,000, plus cost adjustments. The contract adds more than $480 million to revenue backlog.

Delivery of ENSCO 8506 from Keppel FELS Limited shipyard in Singapore is scheduled for third quarter 2012 followed by contract commencement in fourth quarter 2012 once mobilization, sea trials and acceptance testing have been completed.

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Rabun was pleased with the contract, “We are very pleased that Anadarko has chosen to contract a third ENSCO 8500 Series® rig for its drilling programs. Anadarko was an early advocate of the ENSCO 8500 Series® design and contracted ENSCO 8500 back in 2005.”

ENSCO 8500 commenced operations in 2009, and soon thereafter, drilled Anadarko’s major Lucius Discovery in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. In October 2011, Anadarko contracted ENSCO 8505 as part of a rig sharing agreement with Apache and Noble Energy. ENSCO 8505 is scheduled to commence operations in the second quarter of this year.

Last of seven

ENSCO 8506 is the final of seven rigs in the ENSCO 8500 Series®. For the first three quarters of 2011, these rigs that have operated in Asia, North America and South America achieved 97% utilization. Ensco is ranked #1 in overall customer satisfaction and #1 in deepwater drilling by EnergyPoint, an independent survey firm.

The proprietary design of the ENSCO 8500 includes a 35,000’ nominal rated drilling depth, 2 million pounds of hoisting capacity, 8,000 tons of variable deck load and an open layout well suited for subsea completion activities. Improved visibility from the open deck configuration also enhances safety.

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• Singapore: Keppel Announces Delivery of Sixth Ultra-Deepwater Semi to Ensco
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Source

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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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