Paris, March 18, 2009
Technip set two new industry records within the framework of Shell’s Perdido Development in the Gulf of Mexico, which it operates on behalf of partners Chevron and BP:
- Deepest reeled flowline(1) installation at a water depth of 2,961 meters (9,713 feet),
- Deepest reeled steel catenary riser(2) installation at a water depth of 2,469 meters (8,100 feet).
The ultra-deep water Perdido field is located approximately 320 km (200 miles) south of Freeport, Texas. Installation was successfully completed in January 2009. The flowline and riser had a total length of 13.2 km (8.2 miles).
Technip’s operating center in Houston, Texas, executed this contract. Welding operations took place at the Group’s spoolbase located in Mobile, Alabama. The offshore installation was performed using the Deep Blue, Technip’s deepwater pipelay vessel.
Under the terms of separate contracts, Technip supplied the Perdido umbilicals as well as the hull and mooring system for the Spar(3) platform. Moored in about 2,400 meters of water (8,000 feet), this record breaking Spar will be the deepest spar production facility in the world and the first with Direct Vertical Access.
Following previous technological achievements such as the world first installation of steel catenary risers at 1,939 meters (6,360 feet) for the Na Kika project for Shell in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, these new records further demonstrate the leadership of Technip in the ultra deep subsea market.
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(1) Flowline: a pipe, laid on the seabed, which allows the transportation of oil/gas production or injection of fluids. Its length can vary from a few hundred meters to several kilometers.
(2) Riser: a pipe or assembly of pipes used to transfer produced fluids from the seabed to surface facilities, and transfer injection or control fluids from the surface facilities to the seabed.
(3) Spar: a cylindrical, partially submerged offshore drilling and production platform that is particularly well adapted to deepwater.