E&P Highlights: May 13, 2024

From a large North Sea project coming online ahead of schedule to the construction of Turkey’s first-ever floating production unit (FPU), below is a compilation of the latest headlines in the E&P space.

Activity headlines

CNOOC Begins Production Offshore China

CNOOC Ltd.’s Bozhong 19-6 gas field 13-2 Block 5 well site development project began production on May 6.

The project, which is in 75 ft of water, is located in the Bohai Sea. The main production facilities include a wellhead platform, with 10 development wells planned.

The project is expected to achieve a peak production of approximately 5,800 boe/d in 2026.

CNOOC, which holds 100% interest in the project, is the operator.

Eldfisk North Begins Production Ahead of Schedule

First production on the ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS-operated Eldfisk North project offshore Norway began May 6, a few weeks earlier than expected.

In December 2022, Norwegian authorities approved the Eldfisk North plan for development and operation, with original production start scheduled in second-quarter 2024. Eldfisk North, in PL018, is in 230 ft of water in the North Sea.

The Eldfisk North Project, comprised of three six-well subsea templates, is approximately 7 km from the Eldfisk Complex. The development includes up to 14 wells, with nine being producer wells and the remaining five injection wells.

The total resource potential is between 50 MMboe and 90 MMboe. The Eldfisk North Project will produce 15,000 boe/d at peak and use the available capacity of Eldfisk facilities for processing and transportation.

ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS operates the field with a 35.112% stake. TotalEnergies EP Norge AS holds a 39.896% interest, with Vår Energi ASA holding 12.388%, Sval Energi AS holding 7.604% and Petoro AS holding 5%.

Hibiscus South Pilot Confirms Hydrocarbons

BW Energy said on May 8 that its DHBSM-2P pilot well has successfully encountered oil and confirmed a north-eastern extension of the Hibiscus South Field at the Dussafu Marin Permit offshore Gabon. This discovery increases recoverable reserves in the field. Panoro Energy holds a 17.5% participating interest in the Dussafu Marin Permit.

The DHBSM-2P pilot was drilled by the Borr Norve jackup rig from the MaBoMo production platform to a total depth of 5,130 m. Approximately 25 m of pay was found in an overall hydrocarbon column of 35 m in the Gamba Formation. Preliminary evaluation indicates gross recoverable reserves of 5 MMbbl to 6 MMbbl of oil and approximately 14 MMbbl in place.

Pilot well data also confirmed the Hibiscus South structure is a separate accumulation with a deeper oil-water contact than the nearby Hibiscus Field.

BW plans to complete the well as a production well later in 2024.

Contracts and company news

Promethean Begins GoM Decommissioning Work

Promethean Energy, an oil and gas company focused on stewarding mature assets, began work on the temporary abandonment of nine orphan wells on behalf of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), the agency said on May 7. Temporary abandonment of wells is the first stage of full decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure.

In 2023, BSEE awarded Promethean a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to conduct the on-site decommissioning activities on the wells in the Matagorda Island lease area in the Gulf of Mexico.

After months of detailed preparation and liaison with BSEE, Promethean has now undertaken a drone-based, laser scan inspection of the offshore platforms. The scan will digitalize the structures and identify the condition of equipment to develop safe boarding plans and procedures.

BSEE said the next decommissioning phase will undertake repairs to platforms and wellhead equipment.

Subsea 7 to Install Pipe for Turkey’s First FPU

On May 10, the Turkish Petroleum Offshore Technology Center AS (TP-OTC) awarded Subsea 7 SA a contract valued at between $300 million and $500 million for development of the Sakarya Field in the Black Sea.

The contract expands the existing contract with Subsea Integration Alliance to include the installation of Turkey’s first-ever FPU as part of Phase 2 of the development.

Subsea7’s scope will include the installation and integration of risers, umbilicals, hook-ups and mooring systems with the FPU. Project management and engineering will be coordinated through the Subsea7 office in Istanbul. The state-owned ultradeep field is located in blocks C26, C27, D26 and D27 in 6,900 ft of water.

An initial contract was awarded in May 2023 to a consortium including SLB, Subsea Integration Alliance (a strategic alliance partnership of OneSubsea and Subsea7) and Saipem for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the second development phase of the Sakarya gas field.

Nabors to Deploy Third Drilling Rig to Vaca Muerta

To accelerate its development of the Vaca Muerta Shale in Argentina, Vista Energy has signed a third drilling rig from Nabors Industries, Vista said on May 6.

“The addition of a third drilling rig will provide us flexibility to accelerate our activity plan in Vaca Muerta. We forecast to put into production between four to eight wells by year-end, in addition to the 46 previously announced,” said Juan Garoby, COO of Vista.

Vista is using electrification in support of efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of Vaca Muerta operations. Earlier this year, Vista electrified the first drilling rig in Vaca Muerta using Nabors’ PACE F24, entirely powered by renewable energy.

Nabors will deploy a high-spec rig for operations in the second half of 2024.

PGS Awarded Contract in West Africa

PGS was awarded a 4D contract in West Africa by an international energy company on May 10. The contract has a total duration of approximately 65 days, with an option to extend. Mobilization is scheduled for early September.

After the completion of scheduled 4D acquisition programs in Europe, PGS will send a vessel to West Africa to begin the contract. PGS plans to combine its Ramform acquisition platform with the multi-sensor GeoStreamer technology to “provide the client with high-quality 4D seismic data,” Rune Olav Pedersen, president and CEO of PGS, said in a press release.

The contract has a value of more than $10 million.

Honeywell, Weatherford to Deliver Emissions Management Solution

Honeywell and Weatherford have entered a partnership to deliver a comprehensive emissions management solution for the energy industry, the companies said on May 9.

The agreement combines Honeywell's emissions management suite with Weatherford's Cygnet SCADA platform, providing customers with a tool to monitor, report and take measures to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, flammable hydrocarbons and other potentially dangerous gases.

The integrated solution enables upstream oil and gas operators to track emissions data in real-time, identify and address potential issues and meet regulatory requirements. The collaboration also provides clients access to advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, helping them make data-driven decisions to reduce emissions and meet environmental goals.

“By integrating our emissions management solution with Weatherford's well lifecycle technology, our customers can now accurately set targets and monitor near real-time progress on their path to net-zero,” said Pramesh Maheshwari, president of Honeywell Process Solutions.

The collaboration is part of Honeywell's efforts to help the energy industry reduce its environmental footprint and aligns with Honeywell's goals, including the energy transition.

Halliburton Launches New Cementing Solution

Halliburton announced its new SentinelCem Pro cement system to its lost circulation solutions portfolio, according to a May 9 press release.

Lost circulation is the main contributor to costly nonproductive time (NPT) in well construction. SentinelCem Pro cement safely pumps through the bottomhole assembly to help customers quickly address lost circulation events and reduce NPT.

Built upon its predecessor, the SentinelCem Pro simplifies mixing operations as it eliminates the need for pre-hydration of the slurry design and access to high-purity water sources. This feature facilitates more efficient rig operations with the option to direct mix the system on the fly or in a batch mixer. The single-sack packaging enables proactive storage in offshore and remote locations.

The SentinelCem Pro system joins the Tuned Defense cement spacer systems and BridgeMaker lost circulation material to expand a portfolio that mitigates a wide range of lost circulation issues.