VetcoGray completes well conversion in Red Sea

Offshore staff

FLORENCE, Italy -- VetcoGray has converted an exploration well to
full production service at Agiba Petroleum Company's West Ashrafi
hydrocarbon facility in Egypt's Gulf of Suez, in the Red Sea.

The project marks the first time that VetcoGray has converted a mudline
exploration system to an SG-1 wellhead subsea system for production
duty, according to the company.

"The new conversion system removed the need for Agiba Petroleum to
re-enter the reservoir from a new wellhead, as this had proven difficult
during the exploration phase. This solution therefore removed
significant cost and risk from the project," says Willie Bryson,
VetcoGray's product line manager for Tree on Mudline.

Additional challenges on the project included the distance between the
beach-mounted topside equipment (umbilical termination and hydraulic
power units) and the master control station, which was located 1 km (0.6
mi) away. A separate communications and power system was used to
achieve the subsea communications, while fiber optic communications were
used between the HPU/TUTU and the MCS.

07/31/2008