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Deep Water News

19 Jun 2023

Brazil-bound FPSO Sepetiba Departs BOMESC Shipyard in China

(Photo: SBM Offshore)

The Brazil-bound FPSO Sepetiba sailed away from the BOMESC shipyard in China on June 16, 2023, following completion of the topsides integration and onshore commissioning phases.The unit—SBM Offshore’s third Fast4Ward FPSO—is transiting to the Mero field in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil, located 180 kilometers offshore Rio de Janeiro. SBM Offshore has a contract with Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for the 22.5 years lease and operation of FPSO Sepetiba. First oil is expected in the second half of 2023.The FPSO will have the capacity to produce up to 180…

14 Nov 2022

Gallery: Mozambique's Coral Sul FLNG Ships First LNG Cargo

Credit: Eni

The Italian oil and gas company Eni, the operator of the the Coral South project offshore Mozambique, said Monday that the first shipment of LNG produced from the Coral gas field, in the ultra-deep waters of the Rovuma Basin, had departed from the Coral Sul FLNG facility.The Coral Sul is Mozambique's first LNG project and first floating LNG facility ever deployed in the deep waters of the African continent.Built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, the Coral Sul FLNG unit is 432 meters long and 66 meters wide…

18 Oct 2022

Gallery: Itapu Oil Field FPSO Leaves Shipyard (Brazil)

©Sembcorp Marine

Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz (EJA), a Brazilian subsidiary of Singapore's Sembcorp Marine, has completed the construction of the P-71 FPSO, integrating topsides on the China-built hull.The new FPSO vessel left the EJA shipyard on Tuesday. It will be deployed at Petrobras' ultra-deepwater Itapu field in Brazil’s Santos Basin. When operational, the P-71 will produce up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day (BOPD).The P-71 measures 316m by 54m and can store 1.6 million barrels. The FPSO can accommodate 166 people.Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz's P-71 work scope included the construction of six modules…

27 Sep 2022

US Offshore Oil Output Drops as Hurricane Ian Approaches

(Photo: NOAA)

U.S. offshore oil producers on Tuesday were keeping a wary eye on Hurricane Ian's track as the powerful storm shut-in at least 480,000 barrels of oil production as it heads toward Florida.The hurricane entered the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and is forecast to become a dangerous, Category 4 storm over the warm waters of the Gulf, according to National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecaster Eric Blake.Ian weakened after crossing Cuba and was packing winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km per hour), the NHC said.

18 Jun 2022

First Hydrocarbons Introduced into Coral South FLNG Offshore Mozambique

Coral South FLNG - Credit: Eni

Italian oil and gas company Eni said Saturday that the first hydrocarbons had been introduced  from the Coral South reservoir offshore Mozambique into the Coral South FLNG unit.Eni operates the offshore Area 4 where the Coral South FLNG is located. Eni's partners are ExxonMobil, CNPC, GALP, KOGAS, and ENH.Coral South, also known as Coral Sul, FLNG will now be ready to achieve its first LNG cargo in the second half of 2022, adding Mozambique to the LNG-producing countries."Hydrocarbons introduction comes after the safe and timely conclusion of the offshore commissioning activities.

20 May 2022

World's First 8th Generation Drillship Named in Singapore

Deepwater Atlas at sea trials (Photo: Transocean)

Deepwater Atlas, the world's first 8th generation drillship, was recently named at a ceremony in Singapore. The news of the naming ceremony, held late in April, was shared by Transocean, a drilling contractor that owns the vessel, via social media this week.The Deepwater Atlas and its sister rig Deepwater Titan will be the first two 8th generation units when they enter service, and, according to Transocean, will be characterized not only by their ability to drill and complete 20…

06 May 2022

Guyana in 'No Rush' to Draft New Offshore Oil Production Sharing Agreement

An FPSO offshore Guyana - (File photo: Hess Corp.)

Guyana is in "no rush" to draft a new production sharing agreement (PSA) for offshore oil development, its Natural Resources minister told Reuters, reversing a year-long drive to devise new rules for future output.The government of South America's newest crude oil producer said in 2021 it was planning a new agreement to revamp terms and boost royalties for future oil and gas projects. The proposed document was expected to improve terms for Guyana of a 2016 contract with Exxon Mobil and its partners for the prolific Stabroek block.But the tiny nation…

07 Feb 2022

BSEE Inspects Murphy Oil’s New King’s Quay Platform Ahead of First Oil

(Photo: BSEE)

U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspectors and engineers last week carried out an offshore regulatory pre-production inspection of Murphy Oil’s King’s Quay floating production system (FPS) platform. The facility, a semi-submersible FPS, is now currently moored in Green Canyon Block 433 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, about 175 miles south of New Orleans.“The first offshore follow-up inspection is a very crucial time in the installation of a new production platform in the Gulf,” said BSEE Houma District production supervisor Micah Charpentier.

18 Jan 2022

U.S. Gulf of Mexico: 'Encouraging Result' at Winterfell-2 Offshore Well

Credit: Kosmos Energy

The drilling of Beacon Offshore Energy's Winterfell-2 appraisal well on Block 943 in the Green Canyon area of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has been completed with the well showing encouraging results, Kosmos Energy, a partner in the project said Tuesday.The Winterfell-2 well, where Kosmos' working interest is ~16.4%, was drilled to evaluate the adjacent fault block to the northwest of the original Winterfell discovery and was designed to test two horizons that were oil bearing in the Winterfell-1 well…

06 Jan 2022

Eni Extends BW Offshore's Abo FPSO

(Photo: BW Offshore)

Italian oil company Eni has extended its contract for BW Offshore's Abo floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for another year.The FPSO's owner BW Offshore said Thursday it has signed the extension with Eni's subsidiary Nigerian Agip Exploration.Under the extension, the FPSO, used for production from the Abo field offshore Nigeria, will remain on the contract until the end of the fourth quarter of 2022, with options until the second quarter of 2023. The FPSO contract was previously extended by one year in January 2020…

06 Jan 2022

Sembcorp Marine Delivers Vito Floater to Shell

Photo: SCM

Singapore's Sembcorp Marine said Thursday it had completed the construction of the Vito floating production facility, bound for deployment in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for Shell.The integration of Vito’s topside structure with its hull was executed by a pair of goliath cranes with 30,000-tonne combined lifting capacity and 100-meter hook height in Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore. "The yard’s ability to perform this type of mega-block lifting enabled the Vito topsides and living quarters to be fabricated and assembled at ground level to minimize work-at-height risks…

23 Dec 2021

USCG Concludes Investigation into Auger Lifeboat Accident

(Photo: Palfinger Marine / U.S. Coast Guard)

A U.S. Coast Guard investigation into a fatal lifeboat drill accident has resulted in 10 safety and eight administrative recommendations, the agency announced.In July 2019, two people were killed and another was injured while testing lifeboats at Shell's Auger tension leg platform (TLP) in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, about 210 miles southwest of New Orleans. The incident occurred during a routine abandon ship drill and involved the inadvertent release of the lifeboat as…

13 Dec 2021

Petrobras Books Another Seadrill Drillship for Búzios Drilling

Offshore drilling company Seadrill Limited has secured a contract for the West Jupiter drillship with Brazil's Petrobras for work in the Búzios field offshore Brazil. The contract is for a firm term of 1,040 days with the start-up slated for December 2022. The total contract value is about $264 million, including mobilization revenue and additional services.Seadrill’s Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Jackson, said: “Petrobras is a long-standing and valued customer of Seadrill, and signing a third contract with them this quarter is testament to our strong partnership and commitment to the Brazilian market. Seadrill is focused on growing our fleet in strategic basins where we see high growth potential…

22 Oct 2021

Shell Expects Ida-hit Offshore Platform to Restart in November

For illustration - Shell's Olympus Tension Leg Platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico  - Copyright Mike Duhon Productions via Shell

Shell said on Friday it expects an offshore transfer facility, which was shut due to damage from Hurricane Ida, to be operational in the first half of November, restarting production of a popular Gulf of Mexico crude grade earlier than expected.The oil major was the hardest-hit producer from Ida, which tore through the Gulf of Mexico in August and removed 28 million barrels from the market.Shell previously said it expected its West Delta-143 offshore facility, which transfers oil and gas from three major fields for processing at onshore terminals…

13 Sep 2021

McDermott's Amazon Vessel to Install Pipelines at Shell's Whale Project

Credit: McDermott

Offshore installation firm McDermott said Monday that its upgraded Amazon vessel was coming to the Gulf of Mexico to support a subsea contract for the Whale Development in Alaminos Canyon.Oil major Shell in July reached a final investment decision for its Whale deepwater field development. Discovered in 2017, Whale will feature a semi-submersible production host in more than 8,600 feet (2621 meters) of water with 15 oil-producing wells.McDermott will provide engineering, procurement…

29 Jul 2021

Transocean Reels In Two Deepwater Drillship Deals in Gulf of Mexico

Offshore drilling firm Transocean said Wednesday it had secured contracts for two offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The contracts are worth $55.5 million in total.Transocean said that its Deepwater Conqueror drillship had won a one-well contract with "a major operator" in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. "The value of this contract adds approximately 85 days and $28.5 million in the backlog," Transocean said, without sharing the identity of the client. Deepwater Conqueror is a DSME 12000 ultra-deepwater drillship, built/upgraded in 2016/2017 by DSME in South Korea.The Deepwater Conqueror is currently in the Gulf of Mexico, under a $579,000 a day charter with Chevron. This contract expires in December.

30 Jun 2021

Saipem Charters Ultra-deepwater Drillship from Samsung Heavy Industries

Italian oilfield services giant Saipem has chartered a newbuild drillship directly from South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard.Saipem expects the drillship - named Samsung Santorini - to be delivered in November 2021, when the Italian firm will take the 7th generation rig on a two-year charter. No dayrate details have been shared. Recent fixtures for 6th/7gen rigs saw dayrates in the $190.000-$210.000 per day range, according to Bassoe data.While Saipem did not explicitly say it…

18 Jun 2021

Early-season Gulf of Mexico Storm Trims Some US Oil Production

(Photo: NOAA)

The first storm to hit oil-producing regions of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico this year sent workers fleeing offshore oil platforms and cut some production.A weather disturbance in the central Gulf of Mexico was expected to become a tropical storm on Friday. It was moving north at about 14 miles per hour (22 kmh) and could bring up to 12-inches of rain to the central U.S. Gulf Coast by Saturday, the National Weather Service said.Equinor ASA on Friday said it had removed staff and shut production at its Titan platform, which is about 65 miles (105 km) off the coast of Louisiana.

10 May 2021

Petrobras Orders Seventh FPSO for Buzios Field

Credit: Keppel Shipyard

Brazilian oil company Petrobras has ordered an FPSO from Singapore's Keppel Shipyard, in what will be the seventh FPSO unit installed in the Búzios field, in the Santos Basin.The FPSO, to be named P-78, will have a processing capacity of 180 thousand barrels of oil per day and 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day. Keppel is expected to deliver the FPSO in late 2024. Keppel said that the value of the order was $2.3 billion.Keppel O&M will build the topside modules weighing 43…

21 Apr 2021

VIDEO: After Modest 2020, the Years 2021 and 2022 Could Be 'Pretty Good' for FPS Orders

An FPSO - Credit: Ranimiro/AdobeStock

There's one thing that's certain about the price of oil, it goes up and it goes down, but nobody knows when that will happen, Jim McCaul, an expert in the offshore floating production sector for 30 years, recently said in an interview for Offshore Engineer TV, discussing the past, the present and the future of the floating production market.Apart from the oil price volatility being a certain thing, there's another thing that's sort of certain. When oil prices go down, orders for floaters dry up…

14 Apr 2021

Gallery: BP's Giant Argos Platform Arrives in Texas

Credit: BP

BP's behemoth Argos offshore oil platform, the centerpiece of the company's $9 billion Mad Dog 2 project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, has arrived in the U.S. after a 16,000-mile journey from South Korea.The platform, loaded onboard Boskalis' BOKA Vanguard heavy transport vessel, had left South Korea on February 3, and it has this week arrived in the Kiewit Offshore Services fabrication yard in Ingleside, Texas."The arrival of the new floating production unit is a major milestone towards the completion of Mad Dog 2.

15 Feb 2021

Market Report: FPSOs ... Charting the Path Ahead

© Simon Peter / Adobe Stock

COVID-19 will continue to skew the floating production systems market for the coming 24 months, while buying power for a large portion of FPSO contracts will be centered in Brazil and Guyana/Suriname. These two areas are expected to account for more than 60% of the FPSO contracts awarded between 2021 and 2025.These are the findings shared in a recent floating production outlook report produced by International Maritime Associates (IMA) and World Energy Reports (WER).The 100+ page…

23 Nov 2020

ARMS Reliability Wins Contract with MODEC

(Photo: ARMS Reliability)

ARMS Reliability said it has reached an agreement with floating production solutions provider MODEC to assist with optimization and rapid strategy development of asset maintenance management philosophy for MODEC’s newest floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) project for the Bacalhau field, offshore Brazil. The Bacalhau FPSO, the largest ever ordered for Brazil, will be capable of producing up to 220,000 barrels of crude oil per day."The four-phase project will begin with the development of an asset management philosophy based on asset strategy management…

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