Shell Offshore Inc News

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…

Offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation has sent a force majeure notice to its client Shell over the Noble Globetrotter II drillship contract after the rig was damaged earlier this week in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in severe weather during Hurricane Ida. The 2013-built ultra-deepwater drillship has a contract with Shell lasting until early September 2023 at a flexible day rate of at least $275,000.U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that the drillship, located 80 nautical miles south, southeast of Grand Isle, La., in the Gulf of Mexico, had sustained damage and that a plan was being developed to bring the vessel into port for repairs.Around 140 crew members were on board when the storm hit, Reuters reported earlier this week, citing USCG petty officer Carlos Galarza said.Noble Corp.

Sembcorp Marine Rigs & Floaters Pte. Ltd. has won a contract from Shell Offshore Inc. to build and integrate the topside and hull of a Floating Production Unit (FPU) for the Whale field in the Gulf of Mexico.The agreement precedes a final investment decision (FID) for the full Whale project, expected to be made next year by Shell. It paves the way for the Whale FPU to move ahead and take advantage of synergies from the ongoing Shell Vito FPU, currently under construction at Sembcorp Marine’s Tuas Boulevard Yard, the builder said.

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell said its U.S. unit had made one of its biggest oil discoveries in the past decade in the Whale deepwater well in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Whale is operated by Shell and co-owned by U.S. oil giant Chevron Corp. "Evaluation of the discovery was ongoing, and appraisal drilling is underway to further delineate the discovery and define development options," Shell Offshore Inc said in a statement without giving figures. Shell has three Gulf of Mexico deepwater projects under construction -- Appomattox, Kaikias and Coulomb Phase 2. It has added more than one billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) resources in the last decade in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is continuing its investigation of the oil release from Shell Offshore Inc.’s Glider Field on May 12. The Glider Field, located approximately 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, LA, includes subsea wells and the field’s production flows to the Brutus Platform. BSEE Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Lars Herbst formally established an Investigative Panel May 16. The seven-member panel is comprised of BSEE engineers, inspectors, and investigators. The panel will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident in order to identify the causes and any contributing issues that led to the release.

Shell Offshore Inc. today marked the delivery of the third liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered offshore supply vessel (OSV) in Port Fourchon, La. The new vessel, Harvey Liberty, chartered from specialist company Harvey Gulf International Marine, will join sister ships, Harvey Energy and Harvey Power, and support Shell’s deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. “This is an important milestone for Shell and Harvey Gulf,” said Tahir Faruqui, Shell’s General Manager LNG North America.

The Turritella joint venture led by SBM Offshore has completed the project financing of FPSO Turritella for a total of $800 million. Project financing was secured by a consortium of 12 international banks with an average cost of debt of 3.5 percent over the 10 year post-completion maturity. FPSO Turritella is owned and operated by a joint venture owned by affiliated companies of SBM Offshore (55 percent), Mitsubishi Corporation (30 percent) and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (15 percent). The vessel is a typical Generation 2 design with a processing capacity of up to 60,000 barrels of oil per day and 15 mmscf/d of gas treatment and export.

COSCO Shipping    Company    Limited    (COSCOL)    signed    a contract with  Shell    Offshore    Inc.    on    6    July    2015,    for the transportation    of the Appomattox    semi-submersible offshore platform    hull    from    South    Korea    to Ingleside,    Texas. This    contract    was    awarded    as    part    of    an Enterprise frame agreement    between Shell and COSCOL.    Shell’s    41,165    metric    ton    hull    will    be    transported on COSCOL’s    new-building    98,000    deadweight    ton    vessel “Guang    Hua    Kou”.        The    “Guang    Hua Kou”    is    currently under    construction    at    the    COMEC    shipyard    in Guangzhou,    China    and    expected    to    be  delivered    in to service    late 2016.

NYK has made the decision to invest jointly with the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) in the chartering, operation, and maintenance of a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel* in the Stones project, an ultra-deep-sea field in the Gulf of Mexico 2,900 meters below the surface and approximately 320 kilometers off the shore of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The Stones project is owned and operated by Shell Offshore Inc., a group of Royal Dutch Shell plc., and NYK and MC have entered a consortium with SBM Offshore, which has been entrusted by Shell Offshore Inc. to lead the FPSO operation. NYK currently participates in three FPSO businesses in waters off Brazil, and the consortium-owned FPSO used in this project (FPSO Turritella) will be the fourth FPSO venture for NYK.

SBM Offshore has entered an agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) for the acquisition of a stake in the joint venture companies incorporated for the purpose of owning and operating Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Turritella, the company announced today. Mitsubishi Corporation (30 percent interest) and NYK Line (15 percent interest) have acquired a 45 percent combined stake in the joint venture companies. SBM Offshore…

Oceaneering International, Inc. has entered into a two-year, multiservice vessel charter agreement with Shell Offshore Inc. for use of the Ocean Alliance in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) commencing January 1, 2015. The Ocean Alliance is a U.S. flagged vessel built in 2010 with an overall length of approximately 309 feet (94 meters), a Class 2 dynamic positioning system, accommodations for 69 personnel, a helideck, a 150-ton active heave compensated crane and a working moonpool.

Noble Drilling (U.S.) LLC was charged with environmental and maritime crimes for operating the drill ship Noble Discoverer and the drilling unit Kulluk in violation of federal law in Alaska in 2012, the Department of Justice announced. Under the terms of a plea agreement filed in federal court today, Noble will plead guilty to eight felony offenses, pay $12.2 million dollars in fines and community service payments, implement a comprehensive Environmental Compliance Plan, and will be placed on probation for four years. In addition, Noble’s parent corporation, Noble Corporation plc, headquartered in London, England, will implement an Environmental…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced settlements with Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. and Shell Offshore, Inc. for violations of their Clean Air Act permits for arctic oil and gas exploration drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, off the North Slope of Alaska. Based on EPA’s inspections and Shell’s excess emission reports, EPA documented numerous air permit violations for Shell’s Discoverer and Kulluk drill ship fleets, during the approximately two months the vessels operated during the 2012 drilling season. Shell has agreed to pay a $710,000 penalty for violations of the Discoverer air permit and a $390,000 penalty for violations of the Kulluk air permit. EPA issued the Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf permits for Shell’s operations in early 2012.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced settlements with Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc. and Shell Offshore Inc. concerning numerous air permit violations by Shell's 'Discoverer' and 'Kulluk' drill ships during the 2012 Arctic drilling season. On September 5, 2013, EPA settled with Shell for violations of their Clean Air Act outer Continental Shelf permits for arctic oil and gas exploration drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, off the North Slope of Alaska. Based on EPA's inspections and Shell's excess emission reports…

Technip wins a lump sum contract for development of subsea infrastructure for the Cardamom field located in the Gulf of Mexico, Garden Banks block 427. The field is at a water depth of approximately 830 meters, and the project consists of a subsea tie-back to the Auger tension leg platform, wholly owned by Shell Offshore Inc. The contract covers the project management, engineering, fabrication and installation of the East and West Loop 12.8 kilometer pipe-in-pipe flowlines with associated PLETs and steel catenary risers. Technip's operating center in Houston, Texas will perform the overall project management. The flowlines and risers will be welded at Technip’s spoolbase in Mobile, Alabama.

Statoil’s operations in North America got another boost when operator Anadarko Petroleum and co-owners Shell and Chevron today announced the beginning of first oil production from the Caesar Tonga deep-water project in the Gulf of Mexico. Caesar Tonga, in which Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC has a 23.55 percent  working interest, began flowing high-quality oil on March 7. Production from the project’s first three wells is expected to ramp up to approximately 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) announced the approval of a deepwater Gulf of Mexico Exploration Plan (EP) following the completion of a site-specific Environmental Assessment (SEA) for deepwater oil and gas exploration. Shell Offshore, Inc.’s Supplemental EP includes five proposed exploratory wells in approximately 7,160 to 7,259 feet water depth, as well as three previously approved wells approximately 72 miles offshore Louisiana. "This exploration plan was reviewed under the heightened standards we are now using to conduct site-specific environmental assessments,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) announced the approval of a deepwater Gulf of Mexico Exploration Plan (EP) following the completion of a site-specific Environmental Assessment (SEA) for deepwater oil and gas exploration. Shell Offshore, Inc.’s Supplemental EP includes five proposed exploratory wells in approximately 7,160 to 7,259 feet water depth, as well as three previously approved wells approximately 72 miles offshore Louisiana. "This exploration plan was reviewed under the heightened standards we are now using to conduct site-specific environmental assessments,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) notified 13 companies whose deepwater drilling activities were suspended by last year’s deepwater drilling moratorium that they may be able to resume those previously-approved activities without the need to submit revised exploration or development plans for supplemental National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. Before resuming those activities without additional NEPA review, however, the companies must comply with BOEMRE’s new policies and regulations. “Going forward, we are substantially enhancing our environmental reviews and analysis under NEPA,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) announced that public comment is invited with respect to the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the first Exploration Plan (EP) for deepwater activity in the Gulf of Mexico completed in accordance with new safety and environmental standards implemented since the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. The plan, a Supplemental EP submitted by Shell Offshore Inc., includes three proposed exploratory wells in approximately 2,950 feet water depth, 130 miles offshore Louisiana. Consistent with federal regulations, an EP is deemed “submitted” once all supporting materials and documentation has been provided. Once a plan is deemed submitted, BOEMRE has 30 calendar days to analyze and evaluate it.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich announced that the bureau has approved an Exploration Plan, submitted by Shell Offshore Inc., following the completion of a site-specific Environmental Assessment (SEA) for deepwater oil and gas exploration. This is the first new deepwater exploration plan approved since the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill. An exploration plan describes all exploration activities planned by the operator for a specific lease or leases, including the timing of these activities, information concerning drilling vessels, the location of each planned well, and other relevant information that needs to meet important safety standards.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) approved a deepwater drilling permit for a new well that was described in Shell Offshore Inc’s recently approved Exploration Plan. The proposed well was also considered in the Site-Specific Environmental Assessment (SEA) completed as part of the plan review. In order to receive the permit approval, Shell complied with rigorous new safety standards implemented in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill. This includes satisfying the requirement to demonstrate the capacity to contain a subsea blowout. The approved permit is a permit to drill a new well for Shell’s Well #DC001 in Garden Banks Block 427 in 2,721 ft.

On April 22, BOEMRE called for public comment to inform new deepwater environmental assessment. Statoil, Inc. and BHP Billiton Petroleum Americas have provided amendments to their exploration plans (EP). The amended plans have been deemed submitted on April 28, and the 30-day review of the proposed activities has re-started.   There are currently four deepwater EPs that have been deemed submitted. Shell Offshore, Inc.'s supplemental EP was amended and deemed submitted on April 12, 2011. Hess Corporation's supplemental EP is still available for public comment at: http://www.boemre.gov/PublicComment.htm