Offshore staff
HOUSTON – GMC and Horton Wison Deepwater confirm a joint venture to design and supply buoyant tower platforms for shallow-water fields.
According to the JV, “the buoyant tower concept draws on the proven technology of the cell spar, and the design provides multiple benefits for fields where other concepts would be problematic, requiring high capital costs and expensive crane barges for installation.
“The buoyant tower can operate in water depths up to 700 ft [213 m] and can be relocated, allowing small marginal plays to be exploited in a cost effective manner. The design allows for hydrocarbon storage if needed, can eliminate [the need for] separate shallow water drilling units, and provides a high level of flexibility for the operator.”
BPZ Energy chose the design for the newCX-15 platform at its Corvina field, due to be installed offshore Peru during 3Q 2012. Here the tower comprises four cylindrical cells and is connected to the seabed by a single suction pile which is integral to the hull structure.
The tower and decks with production equipment will be transported to the field from Wison Offshore and Marine’s fabrication yard in Nantong, China, on a submersible heavy lift vessel. Following upending at the offshore location, fixed and variable ballast will be pumped into the hull to provide stability for the platform.
The platform has production capacity of 12,200 b/d of oil, gas compression capacity of 12.8 MMcf/d, and produced water handling and injection capacity of 3,500 b/d. It will have 24 well slots, some used for gas and water reinjection purposes.
It will be located around 1 mi (1.6 km) from BPZ’s existing CX-11 Corvina platform, to which it will be connected via subsea pipelines.
The JV completed the FEED scope in 2011, which led to detailed design for the buoyant tower. GMC is also providing project management and installation services for the CX-15 platform.
5/7/2012
