Bruce Beaubouef, Managing Editor
ABS and bp officials discussed the latest developments regarding the design and construction of the Kaskida FPU on Wednesday at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.
To be located in the Keathley Canyon area, Kaskida will be bp’s sixth hub in the US Gulf, featuring a new semisubmersible platform with the capacity to produce 80,000 barrels of crude oil per day from six wells in the first phase.
At the ABS booth on the OTC show floor, bp officials John Boyle, Kaskida Project Manager, and Pat Kelly, Kaskida Hull & Mooring Engineer, provided technical details on the Kaskida FPU and elaborated on ABS’s role on the project.
Kaskida is bp’s first 20k psi project in the US Gulf of Mexico, and to help with this novel project, bp selected ABS for a role “that goes beyond classification.” ABS will provide classification and engineering verification services for the new FPU, a role that will include acting as the Certified Verification Agent for the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the independent third-party verifier for high-pressure, high-temperature (HP/HT) subsea equipment.
In addition, ABS will act on behalf of the United States Coast Guard to inspect and approve the design, construction and installation of the equipment.
Kelly noted that bp’s relationship with ABS on certifying production platforms goes back many years, and besides Kaskida also includes the original Mad Dog spar, the Holstein PDQ truss spar, and the Thunderhorse, Atlantis, and Argos semisubmersibles.
The Kaskida FPU will comprise a single topside module supported by a four-column semisubmersible hull, with subsea production wells in a water depth of about 6,000 ft. The newbuild semisubmersible will have two drill centers and, Boyle noted, “just six subsea wells. But the production rate is good.” The net pay zone is at least 1,000 feet in height, taller than the Eiffel Tower, Boyle noted, and 20k psi-rated subsea pumps will enhance recovery.
Kelly said that the Kaskida semisubmersible will be more in line with recent “lean-designed” semis that other operators have been deploying in the Gulf. “It will be similar in size to the Na Kika platform, but smaller than Thunder Horse or Argos.” He described the platforms in football terms, saying that Argos is a “linebacker” while Kaskida will be a “running back.”
Much of Kaskida’s FPU engineering concept will be designed to improve cycle time. Shortly after issuing the FID last summer, bp selected Audubon Engineering to carry out the engineering and design of the Kaskida topsides using its “established design philosophies” that will allow for faster cycle time. Audubon will leverage its experience with the Delta House, King’s Quay, and Shenandoah semisubmersibles to “develop Kaskida optimally and safely.”
bp also selected EXMAR Offshore Co. to design and engineer the hull of the Kaskida FPU. The hull will feature Exmar’s patented OPTI design, marking the fifth time that this hull design will be used. The OPTI hull design is also expected to help improve cycle time on the project, Kelly said.
Seatrium has been selected to perform the engineering, procurement, construction and onshore commissioning work for the Kaskida FPU. The topsides for Kaskida will be integrated and lifted to the hull using Seatrium’s Goliath twin cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 30,000 tonnes.
Kaskida will be a key launching point for bp’s larger “Paleogene-led” growth strategy, Boyle said. “We are looking to the Paleogene for new hub developments,” he added, and the upcoming Kaskida and Tiber FPUs will be key components in this strategy. bp says that there are 10 Bbbl of discovered resources in place across the Kaskida and Tiber catchment areas.
Boyle noted that bp has 40 leases in this area and added that “we will continue to grow our lease position in this area.”
The Kaskida FPU is expected to come online in 2029.
