Statoil Plans To Start Gina Krog Oil, Gas Field In June

Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said on May 24 that it has given consent for Statoil to start the Gina Krog oil and gas field in the North Sea.

Operator Statoil, which holds a 58.7% stake, is planning to start production in June, the company said.

The field, named after Norwegian suffragist Gina Krog, was previously expected to start in April, information on the NPD’s website stated.

Gina Krog is estimated to hold 106 MMbbl of oil, 11.8 Bcm (417 Bcf) of gas and 3.2 million tonnes of NGL, which will be produced by using a fixed production facility and a storage vessel. Oil will be exported via shuttle tankers, and gas will be sent to the Sleipner A platform for final processing.

The other partners in the field include Total, Kuwait’s KUFPEC, Poland’s PGNiG and Norway’s Aker BP.

Norwegian oil startup Okea has agreed to buy Total’s 15% stake in Gina Krog for $350 million, Norwegian financial daily Finansavisen reported on May 23.

Both Total and Okea have declined to comment.

Eni Launches OCTP Production Offshore Ghana

Eni has started production from the Integrated Oil and Gas Development Project in the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Block offshore Ghana, the company said May 20. The project was completed three months ahead of schedule in 2.5 years.

The project includes the Sankofa Main, Sankofa East and Gye-Nyame fields, which combined have 500 MMbbl of oil and about 40 Bcm (1.4 Tcf) of non-associated gas in place.

Production will be carried out via the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO unit, which will produce up to 85 Mboe/d through 18 underwater wells. A 63-km (39-mile) submarine pipeline will transport gas to Sanzule’s Onshore Receiving Facilities, where it will be processed and transmitted to Ghana’s national grid, supplying about 180 MMscf/d, Eni said in the release.

With a 44.44% stake, Eni is the operator of the block with Vitol (35.56%) and Ghana National Petroleum Corp. (20%).

Oceaneering Lands Work For Shell’s Appomattox In GoM

Shell Offshore Inc. has tapped Oceaneering International Inc. to provide services and products to support the design, fabrication and installation of ancillary flowline hardware for the Appomattox development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM), a news release said.

As part of the contract, the work scope for ancillary flowline hardware will include the procurement and installation of pre-lay and post-lay crossing mattresses, flowline jumper fabrication and installation, and manifold installation. It also includes the design, procurement, fabrication and installation of subsea buoyancy for flowline thermal expansion, Oceaneering said.

The company plans to use its Ocean Evolution vessel, scheduled for delivery later this year, to perform offshore installation services in various phases. The work is slated to start in late 2017 and year-end 2019.

In addition, Oceaneering said it also is expected to provide project management, engineering, ROV services, survey services, subsea tooling and global data solution services to Shell as needed for this work.

The Appomattox development is located in the GoM’s Mississippi Canyon area.

Tullow Will Boost TEN Field Output After Resolving Maritime Dispute

Tullow Oil plans to drill new wells and boost output at its TEN Field offshore Ghana to 80,000 bbl/d once a maritime dispute between Ghana and Ivory Coast is resolved, Tullow’s managing director in Ghana Charles Darku said May 17.

The British company will also invest in exploring possible new Ghana reserves in addition to its Jubilee and TEN fields, Darku said. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is set to rule on the maritime border dispute in the coming months.

“We are looking to the Ghana government to reach a resolution on that to enable us immediately to resume drilling new wells as planned in order to boost production to the plateau of 80,000 [bbl/d],” he told Ghanaian shareholders in Accra.

The offshore TEN Field, comprising the Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme blocks, poured its first oil in August 2016, and the partners said they need to drill at least six more wells to reach its potential.

Production at Ghana’s flagship offshore Jubilee Field stands at about 100,000 bbl/d, Darku said. Ghana, which also exports cocoa and gold, is hoping to use increased oil and gas output to boost its GDP and create jobs.

Centrica Targets Higher Production From Chestnut Oil Field

Centrica said it will drill a new production well at its Chestnut oil field in the North Sea, which was going to be shut later this year.

The Chestnut oil field is off the coast of Aberdeen in Scotland and has been producing oil since 2008 but was only expected to do so for three years.

The field produces 4,000 boe/d and the additional production well should bring a further 10,000 bbl/d onstream, bringing total production to nearly 14,000 bbl/d, Centrica said. The $45 million investment will extend the life of the field by at least three years.

“Chestnut has been an important part of Centrica’s North Sea portfolio for nearly 10 years, so we’re delighted to not only boost production from the field but also extend its life even further,” Nigel MacLean, asset manager for the central North Sea at Centrica, said in a statement.

“Fields like Chestnut underline the importance of maximizing the potential of as many North Sea fields as possible, whether they are major finds or small pools,” he added.

Eni Starts Production From Jangkrik Project Offshore Indonesia

Eni has begun producing natural gas from the deepwater Jangkrik Development Project offshore Indonesia, the company said in a news release.

The fast-tracked project was completed early, with production startup happening within 3.5 years of the project’s sanctioning, Eni said.

“It provides the opportunity for the Jangkrik floating production unit [FPU] to become a hub for the development of our nearby gas discovery Merakes (Eni 85%, Pertamina 15%), which could start production within the next two years,” Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said in the release. “We will consolidate our near-field exploration strategy and operating model and maximize the integrated development of our projects also in Indonesia.”

The Jangkrik project comprises the Jangkrik and Jangkrik Northeast gas fields in the Kutei Basin’s Muara Bakau Block in deepwater Makassar Strait.

Production from 10 deepwater subsea wells, connected to the newbuild Jangkrik FPU, will gradually reach 450 MMscf/d, Eni said in the release. After being processed onboard the FPU, gas will travel via a 79-km (49-mile) pipeline to the Eni-built onshore receiving facility and then to the East Kalimantan Transportation System before reaching the Bontang gas liquefaction plant.

The gas will supply the Indonesian market and the LNG export market, according to Eni.

With a 55% stake of the Muara Bakau PSC through its subsidiary Eni Muara Bakau BV, Eni is the operator. Partners are ENGIE E&P, through its subsidiary GDF SUEZ Exploration Indonesia BV, with 33.334% and PT. Saka Energi Muara Bakau with 11.666%.

Heerema Scoops Up Peregrino II Jacket Contract

South Atlantic Holding has awarded the procurement and construction contract for the jacket for Statoil’s Peregrino II project to the Heerema Fabrication Group, according to a news release.

“With the Valemon jacket, the Gina Krog jacket and the Oseberg Vestflanken 2 unmanned wellhead platform—which we will deliver next month—we have a good track record with Statoil,” Heerema Fabrication Group CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven said in the release.

The Peregrino II project, located in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil, involves adding a third wellhead platform to the field. Heerema said the Peregrino jacket will be about 135 m (443 ft) tall with a 66 m-by-53 m (217 ft-by-174 ft) footprint. Excluding the piles, it will weigh 9,300 tonnes.

Construction is set to begin in November at the Heerema yard in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, to be ready for sailaway in October 2019.

Statoil aims to grow production from the field by increasing the number of production wells. Plans are for 15 oil producers and six water injectors to be drilled. Production is expected by year-end 2020. “The estimated recoverable resources from this development until the end of 2040, when the concession period will end, are 250 million barrels,” the release said.

Wood Group Secures Engineering Contracts For Tigris, Anchor

Wood Group is lining up work for Chevron after signing a 10-year master services agreement.

The agreement allows Wood Group to deliver conceptual engineering, pre-FEED, FEED, detailed design and procurement services across Chevron’s global onshore and offshore asset portfolio, according to Wood Group.

Under the new agreement, Wood Group will provide topsides conceptual and pre-FEED for two semisubmersible platforms on the Tigris and Anchor developments in the Gulf of Mexico.The Tigris and Anchor platforms will operate in 1,219 to 1,524 m (4,000 to 5,000 ft) of water about 225 km (140 miles) offshore Louisiana.

—Staff & Reuters Reports