Marine Log - July 2008 - (Page G4)
GULF COAST HEADLINER The Perdido spar at the beginning of its 8,200 mile journey to Ingleside, Tex. other designs. It is also simpler to maintain stability during producing operations, with little or no active ballast control required. The first spar platform in the Gulf of Mexico was installed in September 1996, with a cylinder measuring 705 ft long and 72 ft in diameter. The platform operated in 1,930 ft of water. The current water depth record for a Spar host is 5,610 ft for Dominion’s Devil’s Tower spar, located on Mississippi Canyon Block 773. Perdido’s hull is 550 ft long and 118 feet in diameter and will be located in a water depth slightly greater than 7,800 ft. The deepest floating production system in the world is the Independence Hub semi host located on Mississippi Canyon Block 920 in a water depth of 7,920 ft. Once installed, the Perdido spar will shatter the current spar water depth record by over 2,200 ft. HULL CONSTRUCTION The construction of the hull began in November 2006 at the Technip construction yard in Pori, Finland. It required more than two million man hours. On May 27, 2008, the hull sailed from Finland. Now at the Kiewit Offshore Services fabrication yard in Ingleside, Shell will work with Technip and Kiewit to perform final outfitting of the hull in preparation for offshore installation. Next month, the hull is scheduled to be towed offshore to the Perdido work site, Alaminos Canyon Block 857 in the Gulf of Mexico. Once there, Heerema Marine Contractors, using several vessels, will upend the hull and attach the nine mooring lines to the seafloor. In March 2007, Kiewit began constructing and fabricating the Perdido topsides facility, which will be placed on top of the hull. The topsides will include the production equipment, drilling rig G4 MARINE LOG JULY 2008 and the living quarters. When it is completed, the topsides will be mated with the hull in a single lift in early 2009. Once completed, the massive steel spar structure will be nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower and weigh as much as 10,000 cars. WORK UNDERWAY AT ALAMINOS Work has already begun on-site in Alaminos Canyon, the future home of the Perdido Regional Development spar. The semi-submersible drill rig Noble Clyde Boudreaux was refurbished and left dock from Mississippi in June 2007. It traveled about 580 miles to the Perdido site. The Clyde Boudreaux will drill a 20-well batch set, pre-drilling the wells. When the spar arrives, Shell will finish drilling the wells, complete them and produce from them. First production from Perdido is expected around the turn of the decade, with the facility capable of handling 130,000 boe/d. PROTECTED FROM HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND MASSIVE WAVES The Clyde Boudreaux was built to Shell specifications to operate in ultra deepwater and withstand hurricane strength winds. After Hurricane Katrina, Shell and Noble engineers re-designed the mooring system, which anchors the rig to the seafloor and keeps it on station. The Clyde Boudreaux has 16 mooring legs, can be moored in 10,000 feet of water and should survive a hurricane as powerful as Katrina. The Clyde Boudreaux is also equipped with two derricks, allowing for dual activity. With two rig floors, operators can drill one well, run casing with the other rig and move the rig back and forth. Work can be done in half the time that it would take a single-activity rig. continued on p. G8 www.marinelog.com
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