Shell's Perdido to push deepwater boundaries

Offshore staff

HOUSTON -- Shell's Perdido development in the Gulf of Mexico will push the boundaries of deepwater development, said Lisa Johnson, Shell's venture manager of North America Offshore, at the Offshore Technology Conference.

The host facility will be the deepest installed direct vertical access spar in the world, Johnson said. It will be moored on the Great White field in about 8,000 ft (2,438 m) of water.

One of the project's subsea satellite fields (Tobago) also will represent a world record once onstream, she said. The well will be the world's deepest subsea completion in about 9,627 ft (2,934 m) of water. Production from Tobago and other planned tiebacks including Silvertip and Tobago will be separated subsea and boosted to the drilling and production hub designed with capacity to process 130,000 boe/d.

Startup of Perdido, expected by the end of the decade, will represent first production from Paleogene reservoirs in the Gulf's Lower Tertiary region, Johnson said. "Perdido will open a new era of production from the Paleogene area."

Installation of thePerdido spar is slated for 2009.

05/06/2008