Offshore staff
(US, GoM) - Shell E&P says it is ahead of schedule to restart production from itsMars TLP, which is the largest producing platform in the Gulf of Mexico that was affected by Hurricane Katrina, representing about 5% of current GoM daily production.
"Reviving this vital energy source for America prior to the peak summer driving season would not have been possible without the tremendous work of the Shell team," says Marvin Odum, executive VP and head of Shell E&P in North and South America. "The Mars platform recovery and deepwater pipeline repairs were among the most technologically complex operations in the world."
Shell expects to complete construction activities necessary to restart production atMars by the end of April. A brief re-commissioning and start-up process will follow, and partial production is expected to resume in May. Mars production is expected to be restored to pre-Katrina rates by the end of June.
TheMars TLP and wells survived the extreme Katrina weather conditions, but the platform drilling rig and some major elements of the topsides production equipment were heavily damaged.
Three months of preparation, planning and work on-site led to the successful lift of the damaged, 1,000-ton-Mars platform rig in two pieces from its toppled position on the platform deck. The damaged sections of the rig were then transported to shore for repairs.
Work to restore the platform's production included an industry-first deepwater pipeline project, successfully repairing its oil and gas export pipelines in 2,700 ft of water using underwater robotics to execute tasks normally performed by divers in shallow waters.
The export lines were damaged as a result of a drifting semisubmersible deepwater drilling rig that dragged an anchor across the lines during the storm. The 18-in. oil line and 14-in. gas line have both been repaired, and integrity testing has been successfully completed. Both lines are commissioned and ready for service onceMars production resumes.
In addition, theMars flexjoint (the pipeline connection to the TLP) repairs, scheduled prior to the 2005 hurricane season but delayed due to loop currents, were completed during the platform's recovery effort.
Prosafe Offshore's six-story accommodation semisubmersible, Safe Scandinavia was mobilized to the GoM for the first time, to provide lodging for more than 500 people who successfully deployed the Shell supplied deepwater mooring system in record water depth for this vessel.
Shell operates theMars TLP with a 71.5% working interest; BP holds the remaining 28.5%
04/20/06
