Appomattox News

Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), stopped loading tanker ships on Sunday, while the port of New Orleans closed on Monday.The U.S. government said 21%…

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is positioned for another year of record oil production in 2020, despite massive cuts in investment.According to Rystad Energy, most of this growth coming from deep water projects.“2020 is expected to be another record year with average production above 1.9 million barrels per day,” says Joachim Milling Gregersen, an analyst on Rystad Energy’s upstream team.Oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has grown every year since 2013, with an average of 104,000 barrels per day added annually. An essential contribution has come from infill drilling in legacy producing fields such as Mars, Thunder Horse and Tahiti.The top contributors to supply growth in 2019 have so far been the Big Foot and Crosby fields.

U.S. total oil production, which is already off to an amazing start in 2019,  is on track to set another record for this year.New records are expected both when the final numbers for May emerge and at the end of the year, said Rystad Energy.The energy research and business intelligence company is raising its forecast for US crude output to 13.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by December 2019. For May 2019, our research and calculations point to crude oil production averaging 12.5 million bpd. Both are new all-time highs.“Our US supply projections have been revised up yet again. US oil production is already higher than many in the market believe…

Global deepwater oil production was expected to grow 700,000 barrels  per day (b/d) this year to hit a record high of more than 10 million b/d.Norwegian research group Rystad Energy said that it "expects global deepwater production to reach record high level and surpass 10 million bb/d.""With new fields starting up in Brazil and Gulf of Mexico, we expect the total deepwater liquid production to reach 10.3 million bbl/d in 2019. This is an increase of 700 kbbl/d compared to 2018," it said.In addition to Brazil and the US, Angola, Norway and Nigeria are the largest deepwater producers.Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency has estimated that the share of deepwater in total offshore production will rise to 30% in 2040…

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s offshore services group has delivered Shell’s Appomattox semi-submersible Floating Production System (FPS) to the open waters of the U.S. Gulf from Kiewit Offshore Services' construction facility in Ingleside, Texas.Making the tow-out possible were Crowley’s Ocean Sky and Ocean Sun tugboats, which worked together on behalf of customer Heerema, alongside other third-party assets to deliver Appomattox.Demonstrating both nearshore and offshore capabilities, the company’s ocean class tugs safely towed the FPS through the Aransas Channel, then disconnected and provided escort services to the deep-water installation site.

As Shell finishes construction on its Appomattox Semi-Submersible Platform hull, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement engineers and inspectors signed off on several topsides components during a pre-production inspection March 27, 2018. Royal Dutch Shell plc, 79 percent owner and its partner, Nexen Petroleum Offshore U.S. A. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CNOOC ltd, will operate the platform about 80 miles off Louisiana’s coast in the Mississippi Canyon. “The Appomattox will be Shell’s largest floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico…

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.

Total announced that its subsidiary, TOTAL E&P USA, INC., has entered into an agreement to capture seven prospects operated by CHEVRON U.S.A. INC. in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The agreement covers 16 blocks. The associated prospects are located in two promising plays and areas of the GoM: Wilcox in Central GoM next to the Anchor discovery, and Norphlet in Eastern GoM nearby to the Appomattox discovery. Total’s participation in these wells will be between 25 percentand 40 percent.The first of these wells was spudded late July on the Ballymore prospect in Mississippi Canyon. “This agreement, together with the recently announced participation in the Jack field as part of the Maersk Oil acquisition…

Royal Dutch Shell has given the go-ahead to develop its Kaikias deepwater field in the Gulf of Mexico, the first such project the oil and gas company has approved in 18 months. Oil companies around the world are emerging from one of the longest downturns in recent decades amid warnings that the drop in investment in recent years may lead to a supply deficit by the end of the decade. Shell said the Kaikias oil and gas project, located some 210 kilometres (130 miles) from the Louisiana coast, will start production in 2019 and generate profits with oil prices lower than $40 a barrel after the company slashed its costs by around 50 percent due to simplified design plans. Oil prices were around $56 a barrel on Tuesday.

Oil pricing continues to hover in the mid-$50s, market confidence is slowly returning and the production floater fabrication market is stirring. A major order for a production semi was placed in early January -- with Samsung receiving a contract to build the production semi for BP's Mad Dog Phase 2 project. The $1.27 billion unit will have capability to produce 110,000 b/d oil from 14 production wells. It will be used to develop further oil discoveries near the original Mad Dog Spar in the Green Canyon area of the GOM.

China’s COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co. Ltd. has taken delivery of its newest semisubmersible vessel, the 98,000 dwt Xin Guang Hua – the largest of the COSCO semisub fleet and reportedly second largest in the world. Large enough to transport fully integrated offshore floating production units weighing up to 85,000 tons, the m/v Xin Guang Hua was purpose built and delivered from the COMEC shipyard in Guangzhou. The vessel features an unobstructed deck space of up to 211m by 68m and is fully redundant including industry leading DP2 systems.

Shell and its joint venture announce the start of oil production from the third phase of the deep-water Parque das Conchas (BC-10) development in Brazil's Campos Basin. Production for this final phase of the project is expected to add up to 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) at peak production, from fields that have already produced more than 100-million barrels since 2009. "The safe, early delivery of this production is a testament to the efficiency of our deep-water project execution," said Wael Sawan, Executive Vice-President, Deep Water, Shell. "With this phased project, we have again demonstrated value from standardization, synergies from contractual relationships, and the strategic deployment of new technologies.

This year, the offshore oil and gas industry has had to come to terms with the worst downturn for more than a decade. With commodity prices plummeting to an 11-year low in December, market research and consulting firm Douglas-Westwood (DW) reflects on the year gone by and considers the outlook for the year to come. Offshore rig markets still have a lot to digest before recovery. Rig dayrates have plummeted as a function of significant oversupply. Many of these rigs were ordered in the previous up-cycle, but have only recently entered the fleet at a time when the appetite to drill is poor.

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.

Royal Dutch Shell has given the green light for the development of its largest platform in the Gulf of Mexico after making steep cost cuts which made the deep water project economical despite low oil prices. The decision to pour billions of dollars into the Appomattox project comes as companies have scrapped around $200 billion of mega-projects in the wake of the sharp decline in oil prices over the past year. Shell has operated in the Gulf of Mexico for over 60 years. The region contributes about 17 percent of total U.S. crude oil production according to the Energy Information Administration and was the location in 2010 of the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, involving BP's Deepwater Horizon well.

Shell was a high bidder on 38 Gulf of Mexico blocks at the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Lease Sale 227. Shell continues to build upon a strong position in the Central Gulf of Mexico, bidding on a total of 43 blocks and exposed approximately $166 million. Shell was the apparent high bidder on 38 blocks, with those bids totaling approximately $ 140-million. The results strengthen Shell’s existing portfolio, which includes significant progress on the Mars-B development project with the arrival of the Olympus Tension Leg Platform.

Shell accepts US$560-million  offer from Plains Exploration & Production (PXP  for working interest in Gulf of Mexico Holstein asset. Shell received an unsolicited offer from PXP for Shell’s working interest. The transaction is effective October 1, 2012 and is expected to close by year-end 2012. Holstein is a mature deepwater asset and the sale is consistent with Shell’s continuing practice of reviewing our existing portfolio and evaluating new opportunities. The Holstein Unit is centered on a spar platform anchored in 1350 meters (4400 feet) water depth and first produced in December 2004. Shell’s 50% interest represents about two percent of the company’s overall Gulf of Mexico net production and had a 30-day net average production of 7.4 kboe/d prior to Hurricane Isaac.

Shell announced a significant new oil discovery in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico, adding to discoveries in the area from 2009. The discovery is located at the Appomattox prospect in 2,200 metres (7,217 feet) of water in Mississippi Canyon blocks 391 and 392. Shell drilled the discovery well, located on Mississippi Canyon block 392, to a depth of 7,643 metres (25,077 feet) and encountered approximately 162 metres (530-feet) of oil pay. Shell then drilled an appraisal sidetrack to 7,910 metres (25,950-feet) and encountered approximately 116 metres (380-feet) of oil pay. Additional appraisal activities are planned for later in the year.

Nexen and its partner have made a significant discovery in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico at Appomattox, located in Mississippi Canyon blocks 391 and 392. Recent operations at Appomattox have resulted in an oil discovery with excellent reservoir quality, following the drilling of an exploratory well and two appraisal sidetracks. Nexen has a 20% interest in Appomattox which Shell operates and holds an 80% interest. The discovery well, located in 7,217 feet of water, was drilled to a depth of 25,077 feet true vertical depth and encountered approximately 530 feet gross (425 feet net) true vertical thickness of oil pay. An appraisal sidetrack was drilled to approximately 25,950 feet true vertical depth and encountered approximately 380 feet (360 feet net) true vertical thickness of oil pay.