E&P Highlights: July 10, 2023

From halted production offshore Thailand to new technology contracts, below is a compilation of the latest headlines in the E&P space.

Activity headlines

Gas Turbines Power Up at Tyra Redevelopment

TotalEnergies announced July 6 it has powered up two gas turbines at the Tyra Field, almost a month ahead of schedule.

The operator said this represents a crucial step in the final stages of the Tyra redevelopment project since the two active gas turbines constitute the main means of power supply for the Tyra II hub and surrounding fields. The platform is equipped with three turbines, and two will run while one remains on standby. The Tyra Field is expected to resume production in the winter season of 2023/24.

The Tyra redevelopment includes three main elements: decommissioning and recycling the old Tyra platforms; recycling and extending the current platform legs on six of the platforms by 13 m, which will have new topsides; and a new process module and a new accommodation platform.

Once modernized, Tyra II will be the most modern natural gas field in the world, according to the operator, and is expected to deliver 2.8 Bcm/year to Denmark and Europe through the export pipelines to Nybro and Den Helder.  TotalEnergies operates the Tyra field with 43.2% on behalf of partners BlueNord with 36.8% and Nordsøfonden with 20%.

Wassana Production Suspended Offshore Thailand

Valeura Energy Inc. announced on July 7 temporarily suspending production operations at the Wassana oil field, offshore Gulf of Thailand. Operations were halted after the Wassana floating storage and offloading deviated from its intended position and contacted the field’s catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) buoy.

No personnel were injured in the July 6 event, no hydrocarbons discharged and the company reported no damage to the vessel or the CALM buoy.

As a precautionary measure, Valeura temporarily suspended production operations at the field, which had been averaging approximately 2,400 bbl/d.

Perenco Sharpens Southern North Sea Operations

Perenco UK Ltd. announced on July 3 that the new Leman 27B compression station had been brought online in the southern North Sea. Additionally, the Leman 27A and Inde 23A platforms have been reconfigured and de-manned to function in normally-unattended installation mode.

With its Southern Hub Asset Rationalization Project, Perenco UK has renovated, replaced or modified old, oversized infrastructure. It’s been replaced with more modern, efficient, fit-for-purpose equipment that requires less maintenance and provides better uptime.

“By simplifying and rationalizing our equipment at the heart of the Leman and Inde hubs, we have reduced the level of CO2 emissions, fuel gas consumption and day-to-day running costs,” Perenco UK general manager Jonathan White said in a press release.

Contracts and company news

McDermott International Ltd. announced on July 10 that Woodside Energy awarded it an offshore decommissioning contract for engineering, procurement and removal of the Stybarrow disconnectable turret mooring (DTM) buoy, as part of the decommissioning of the Stybarrow Field located in the northwest Cape of Western Australia.

McDermott will provide project management and engineering services for the recovery, transportation and offloading of the DTM buoy to a suitable onshore yard facility for dismantling and disposal.

McDermott's Perth-based team will oversee project management, while teams in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Batam, Indonesia, will provide engineering and fabrication support. McDermott's DLV2000 vessel will lift and remove the DTM buoy.

Searcher Wraps Up Orange Basin Seismic

Searcher Seismic announced on July 6 it had completed its multi-phase, multi-client 3D seismic acquisition campaign in the Namibian Orange Basin.

In Phase 1, Searcher acquired 1,700 sq km of 3D seismic within the boundaries of block PEL 85 and fast-track data has yielded insights into geological features and hydrocarbon prospectivity. In Phase 2, Searcher mobilized the Shearwater Empress over block PEL 3 to acquire 5,000 sq km of 3D seismic data to image and delineate the reservoir geology of the Kudu gas field, along with other potential plays within the survey area.

With the completion of the multi-phase 3D acquisition campaign, Searcher said it had acquired more than 6,700 sq km of 3D seismic data in Namibia during the 2022-2023 season, representing the largest multi-client 3D offering in the entire Orange Basin.

Fast track data is already available and final products are expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2023.

Valaris Reports $150 Million in Contracts

Valaris Ltd. on July 5 announced new contracts and contract extensions with an associated contract backlog of $150 million.

Occidental Petroleum’s subsidiary, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., took on a two-well contract valued at $22 million for the VALARIS DPS-5 semisubmersible to operate in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). That contract is expected to begin in July 2023 and last a minimum of 60 days.

Apache Corp. signed a nine-well plug and abandonment campaign contract for the same semi, with operations expected to begin in the GoM in September 2023 and last a minimum of 110 days.

An undisclosed operator offshore Australia signed on for a minimum 180-day contract for heavy duty jackup VALARIS 107. The contract, expected to begin in the first quarter of 2024, has an operating day rate of $150,000.

The same jackup won a one-year contract that is expected to begin in October 2024 for an undisclosed operator offshore Australia.

A major Australian operator signed up heavy duty ultra-harsh environment jackup VALARIS 247 for a two-well contract with a day rate of $180,000 plus mobilization and demobilization fees. The contract is expected to start in early to mid-2024 and last an estimated 100 days.

Expro’s New Subsea Technology Heading to GoM

Expro announced on July 5 a major operator awarded it a contract for the first deployment of its single shear and seal high-debris 15K ball valve assembly.

The multi-functional single shear and seal mechanism will form part of a full subsea deepwater completion and intervention system Expro is designing for a subsea field in about 6,600 ft water depth in the GoM. The mechanism is designed to answer the customer’s requirement for a single-valve subsea solution rather than the conventional double-valve system while offering the reassurance of risk reduction through an additional safety barrier.

The high-debris single ball system, which delivers shear and post shear seal on a multitude of sizes of coiled tubing, slickline and electrical cable, is for both gas and liquid and can be deployed in both in-riser or open water environments.

The three-year contract for the in-riser system is valued at more than $15 million.

Shell Taps McDermott for Malaysia Installation

McDermott announced on July 6 Sarawak Shell Berhad has awarded it an offshore transportation and installation contract for the F22, F27 and Selasih fields pipelay and heavy lift project off the coast of Sarawak in East Malaysia.

McDermott will transport and install two pipeline segments and one section of flexible pipelay. McDermott will also pre-commission infield pipelines and install three jackets and topsides.

The contract marks McDermott’s fourth project under the subsea and floating facilities project portfolio. Project management and engineering will be executed in Malaysia, while the DLV2000, McDermott's heavy lift and pipelay vessel, will handle offshore installation activities.

Trendsetter Completes Acid Treatments in GoM

Trendsetter Engineering Inc. announced July 10 it had completed a pair of deepwater well stimulation campaigns for major operators in the GoM. Campaigns, conducted in water depths of 6,500 ft to 7,200 ft, provided acid treatments to six wells.

The campaigns come on the heels of a contract agreement to deliver hydraulic intervention and technical services via the subsea tree injection manifold (STIM) for a hydrate remediation and flowline flush project in the GoM. The Trendsetter STIM offers a 15,000 psi rated subsea safety system designed to provide hydraulic well access for both vertical and horizontal trees in water depths to 10,000 ft.

TGS Announces India Seismic Project

TGS announced on July 6 a West Coast India seismic processing project that complements the 2022 India East Coast 2D-cubed project.

The project encompasses all available 2D seismic data across over three-quarters of a million square kilometers offshore India's west coast. TGS will use its 2D-cubed technology to create a single, conformable, easily-accessible pseudo-3D dataset. 2D-cubed technology generates a 3D seismic migration volume from a set of 2D and 3D seismic lines.

The product is designed to encourage exploration offshore India. First deliverables are expected to be available to the industry by first-quarter 2024 with project completion in third-quarter 2024.

Sasol Qualifies Rigless P&A Technology

BiSN has partnered with Sasol in Mozambique to qualify the effectiveness of Wel-lok technology for rigless plug and abandonment (P&A) and intervention operations, the company announced on July 6.

The collaboration aimed to establish the viability of using BiSN alloy via perforations to achieve rock-to-rock sealing and improve abandonment integrity.

“Upon setting, it far exceeded our expectations and we will continue to use BiSN technology in Sasol campaigns,” Sandy Ferrari, well engineering consultant at Sasol, said in a press release.

Sasol Mozambique faced the challenge of establishing a 62 m rock-to-rock seal in thin cap rocks, making it challenging to ensure complete sealing using traditional cement. To overcome the challenge, Sasol elected to work with BiSN and a major service provider to deploy BiSN alloy via perforations in 9-5/8 in. casing. The objective was to isolate formation activity from a gas-bearing silt layer and create a suitable regional seal within a 10 m thick shale interval.

The operation began with the displacement of the 9-5/8 in. casing to solids-free brine, followed by casing scraping and perforating gun run on wireline. A cast iron bridge plug was set to provide a mechanical base for the molten alloy, and a 33 ft Wel-lok plug was deployed and activated via a timer and hydrostatic switch. The alloy expanded, forming an effective 360-degree circumferential bismuth barrier within the annulus.

Transocean Encourage Extended in Norway

Transocean Ltd. announced on July 5 that six one-well options have been exercised for the Transocean Encourage in Norway. The estimated 370 days of work will contribute $172 million in backlog. Work is expected to directly follow the current firm term and extend through February 2026.

Sercel Wins Middle East Equipment Deal

CGG announced on July 3 that BGP Inc. had awarded Sercel Inc. major equipment contracts to deliver 54 Nomad 65 Neo vibrator trucks and 29,000 GPR300 seabed nodes. The equipment will be used this year on several major onshore and OBN seismic surveys in the Middle East.

BW Sells FPSO for $15 Million

BW Offshore announced on July 7 closing the transaction to sell the FPSO Sendje Berge to a local FPSO owner and operator for $15 million. Following the transaction, the buyer has assumed responsibility for operations of the unit, Operations began in April 2005 in the shallow water Okwori Field offshore Nigeria.

Silverwell Dials Up Alaska Contract

Silverwell Technology Inc. announced July 6 it will exclusively provide an artificial lift solution for 22 new wells in Alaska under an exclusive five-year contract with a major independent operator.

Silverwell will deploy its digital intelligent artificial lift (DIAL) gas lift production optimization system in the wells. DIAL, used both onshore and offshore, integrates in-well monitoring and control of gas lift well performance with surface analytics and automation to continually optimize gas-lifted fields, remotely and without intervention.

Elcome, Miros Sign Spill Detection Contract

Under a deal with Miros AS, a Norway-headquartered wave, current and oil spill monitoring specialist, Elcome International LLC has signed an exclusive sales and service agreement to supply sea state sensor and measurement solutions to Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Miros announced on July 10.

As part of the agreement, Elcome will also provide distribution and installation services for its full product portfolio, which includes the company's oil spill detection system.