North America
Hilcorp has approval from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to acquire the first geophysical survey since 2015 over the Cook Inlet off southern Alaska. The 3D program, across part of the lower Cook Inlet, west of Kachemak Bay, should take 60 days to complete.
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Abrado Wellbore Services will support Chevron’s campaign to P&A over 30 wells in federal waters around 19.3 km (12 mi) offshore California. The wells are exhibiting signs of sustained casing pressure, with some in need of dual-string remediation for permanent abandonment. Abrado will provide section milling using its Medusa VS variable stabilized dual-string technology, supported by downhole video diagnostics.
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Suncor Energy has sanctioned a life extension program for the Terra Nova oilfield and FPSO, 350 km (217 mi) southeast of Newfoundland, until 2031. Production started in 1984, and the FPSO/subsea production system was the first in North America protected against sea ice and icebergs. The latest development phase, due to start next year, should recover a further 80 MMbbl.
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Bahamas Petroleum Co. (BPC) has a provisional agreement with Seadrill for a sixth-generation rig to drill a first exploration well off the Bahamas, starting in the first half of 2020. BPC has also appointed Halliburton as its integrated well services provider, with BHGE supplying wellheads, tubulars and related equipment.
Caribbean Sea/South America
BHP and its partners have sanctioned the $500-million Ruby oil and gas project in block 3 (a) offshore Trinidad and Tobago. The development will tieback production from the Ruby and Delaware reservoirs via five wells to existing process facilities. BHP assesses recoverable resources at 13.2 MMbbl of oil and 275 bcf of gas, and anticipates peak production, some time after start-up in 2021, of around 16,000 b/d and 80 MMcf/d.
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Tullow Oil has discovered what appears to be the first commercial oilfield offshore Guyana outside the prolific Stabroek block. The drillship Stena Forth drilled the Jethro-1 well in 1,350 m (4,265 ft) of water on the Orinduik license, encountering 55 m (180.5 ft) of net oil pay from Lower Tertiary sandstone reservoirs. Drilling started late last month on the shallower, Upper Tertiary Joe prospect. Qatar Petroleum recently joined the partnership following a farm-in transaction with Total.
The newly converted FPSO Liza Destiny should shortly reach Guyana following a two-month voyage from Keppel Shipyard in Singapore. The floater, formerly the VLCC Tina, is heading to the ExxonMobil-operated Liza field, 200 km (124 mi) from the coast, where it will undergo hook-up to the subsea system. According to contractor SBM Offshore, it will be spread-moored in 1,525 m (5,003 ft) water depth, with the capability to produce up to 120,000 b/d of oil.
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Petrobras has agreed to sales of two sets of shallow-water fields offshore Brazil. Trident Energy is paying $851 million for the company’s 100% operated interest in the Pampo and Enchiva clusters in the Campos basin off Rio de Janeiro state. These encompass 10 oil and gas fields with combined production, through four platforms, of around 25,000 boe/d. Karoon Petróleo & Gás will pay $665 million for Petrobras’ 100% stake in the Baúna oilfield in the Santos basin, where operations started in 2013. Baúna currently produces 20,000 b/d through the FPSO Cidade de Itajaí.
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Equinor and YPF will jointly explore the CAN 100 block in the Northern Argentinian offshore basin, after YPF agreed to transfer 50% of its share of the concession. CAN 100 is the largest block in the basin, Equinor said, extending across 15,000 sq km (5,791 sq mi). The companies were already partners in two other permits in the same basin, awarded earlier this year under Argentina’s first international offshore bid round.
West Africa
Halliburton has secured multiple drilling and completion services contracts from Woodside Energy for the deepwater SNE field development offshore Senegal, conditional on a final investment decision by the partners. The Phase 1 campaign, which could start in late 2020, encompasses 18 wells with options for up to eight more, with the program potentially lasting up to four years.
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Svenska Petroleum has agreed to transfer to China’s CNOOC 55% of its share of the Sinapa and Esperança petroleum licenses offshore Guinea-Bissau. Svenska would retain a 23.03% interest, the remainder held by Australia’s FAR. Pending government approval, the partnership plans to drill the country’s first deepwater exploration well early next year on the 470-MMbbl Greater Atum prospect, testing a shelf-edge play analogous to SNE off Senegal to the north.
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Total has agreed to supply up to 500,000 metric tons/yr (551,156 tons) of re-gasified LNG from its global portfolio to the Republic of Benin and Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique. Under the 15-year arrangement, due to start in 2021, Total will develop and operate a floating storage and re-gasification unit stationed offshore Benin, and an offshore pipeline connected to power plants in Maria Gléta.
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Tenaris expects to fabricate 21,000 metric tons (23,148 tons) of line pipe at its Confad mill in Brazil for the export pipeline for Noble Energy’s Alen field gas monetization project offshore Equatorial Guinea. The 70-km (43-mi) subsea line will take gas from the field’s platform to processing facilities on Bioko Island.
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Agogo-2, Eni’s first appraisal well of the Miocene/Oiligocene Agogo discovery in block 15/06 offshore Angola, has confirmed in-place oil of around 650 MMbbl, with potential upside in the field’s northern section. Transocean’s drillship Poseidon drilled the well, 3 km (2 mi) northwest of Agogo-1 in 1,700 m (5,577 ft) water depth. The location is 23 km (14 mi) from the FPSO N’Goma serving the block’s West Hub, which will likely host a subsea tieback of Agogo later this year.
Amplus Energy Services is working with TechnipFMC, Halliburton, and Prodiaman Oil Services on a project to assess development solutions for various marginal fields offshore Angola. The client is said to be a major operator. Amplus’ work will focus on the application of its Versatile Production Unit, a dynamically positioned vessel with a disconnectable turret buoy, allowing the ship to relocate from field to field.
Mediterranean Sea
Malta’s government has reportedly awarded Edison International and exploration license for blocks 1, 2, and 3 offshore the islands’ north coast. The exploration study agreement for the 6,400-sq km (2,471-sq mi) concession runs for a year, with a focus on geological and geophysical studies of existing data.
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Israel’s Petroleum Council has granted Energean Oil and Gas four new licenses in block D, 45 km (28 mi) from the Israeli coast. Energean has already identified one prospect which it believes is analogous to the deepwater Tamar Sand fields Karish and Leviathan (both under development), and Tamar.
Middle East
McDermott International has an EPCI contract from Saudi Aramco to supply a production deck module for the offshore Hasbah gas field, and to undertake hookup/modifications at facilities serving the Karan fields. The work scope includes installation of a 6-km (3.7-mi), 16-in. corrosion-resistant alloy cladded flowline and a 6.5-km (4-mi) subsea umbilical cable.
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ADNOC and CNOOC have agreed to jointly pursue upstream, downstream, and LNG opportunities. They also plan to share their latest developments in ultra-sour gas technologies. Chinese offshore contractors COOEC and COSL could collaborate with the partners on future projects off Abu Dhabi. ADNOC had earlier signed a framework agreement with Indonesia’s Pertamina on potential collaborations on upstream/downstream projects, including in the UAE.
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Aker Solutions’ manufacturing complex in Mobile, Alabama, will supply four steel tube umbilicals with a total length of over 100 km (62 mi) for ADNOC’s Dalma field gas development in the Persian Gulf, under a $78-million contract. The umbilical system will connect the subsea equipment – the first ever for a project in UAE waters, according to Aker Solutions – to three new wellhead platforms, also linking the topside facilities on the offshore control platform to equipment onshore.
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Seadrill and Qatari contractor Gulf Drilling International have agreed to form a 50/50 joint venture. GulfDrill will initially manage and operate five jackups locally for Qatar Petroleum, starting in 2020, including bareboats charters of Seadrill’s West Telesto and West Castor. The associated contracts, due to conclude by 2024, carry extension options which if exercised could extend the total value above $1 billion.
East Africa
Qatar Petroleum will join operator Eni and Total in three prospective exploration blocks offshore Kenya, pending government approval. The company will farm into 25% of blocks L11A, L11B and L12 in the Lamu basin, in water depths ranging from 1,000-2,700 m (3,280-8,858 ft).
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Asia/Pacific
Intecsea has received a project management consultancy services contract from Reliance Industries Ltd. for the deepwater MJ field development off eastern India. MJ is a HP/HT gas-condensate field in 700-1,000 m (2,297-3,609 ft) water depth in the KG basin. Intecsea’s scope covers the EPS phases for the subsea facilities and processing facilities on an FPSO, and work on an existing gas trunk line.
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Eni has discovered gas and condensate in the Ken Bau prospect in the Song Hong basin offshore Vietnam. The Ken Bau 1X well, drilled in 95 m (312 ft) of water in block 114, intersected various productive intervals in sandstone interbedded with Miocene shale, with an estimated net reservoir thickness of over 100 m (328 ft).
Australia
Australia’s government has invited bids for 64 areas under the country’s 2019 offshore petroleum acreage release, the largest since 2000. They cover more than 120,000 sq km in the Bonaparte, Browse, Gippsland, Northern Carnarvon, and Otway basins. Bids are due by March 5, 2020. •
