From Houstdon (BN): Chevron’s Buckskin (SEN, 31/12) and Moccasin (30/10) prospects in the far southern Gulf of Mexico will be developed as subsea tiebacks to Anadarko’s Lucius (31/22) spar.

Anadarko announced the new production-handling agreement with Chevron this week, and Chevron said it has contracted INTECSEA to do engineering and long-lead procurement services for the FEED phase of the projects. Intecsea did the pre-FEED.

Lucius, with a boilerplate capacity of 80,000b/d, achieved first oil in January. It is comprised of parts of Keathley Canyon 874-875-918-919 in 2,160m, 440km southwest of New Orleans.

Buckskin is in KC785-828-829-872 with potential expansion into KC871 with Buckskin South, where regulators have approved an exploration plan. Discovered in 2009 in KC872 in 2,109m, Buckskin is about 14km west of the Anadarko spar.

Moccasin, discovered in 2011 in KC736 in 2,022m and now unitised with KC692, lies about 19km northwest of Buckskin.

Both fields are in the Lower Tertiary, with discovery wells drilled to 8,962m and and 9,614m respectively, while Lucius is inshallower Miocene and Pliocene sands, with the discovery well drilled to 6,096m.

Chevron operates Buckskin (55%) and Moccasin (43.75%) with different partners. In the former they are Maersk, Repsol and Samson and in the latter, BP and Samson.

Offshore