Challenges and Decisions in Developing Multiple Deepwater Fields

Abstract

Beginning in 1999, BP and its co-lessees embarked on an ambitious program to develop four major fields in deepwater regions of the Gulf of Mexico. Along with presenting a brief summary of each development's unique features, this paper describes the primary challenges facing BP's management in planning and executing this string of major projects and the associated pipeline transportation system project. Contracting approaches and associated issues such as standardization are discussed, along with constraints imposed by service industry limitations and available human resources. BP's approach to technology selection and technology development, in light of limited industry experience and specific Gulf of Mexico environment challenges, are also addressed.

Technical Challenges and Impacts of Extending Spar and Semisubmersible Platform Capabilities to 4,500 m Water Depth

“…The review showed that very deep water depths of about 4,000 m and deeper would fall in the western and transition metocean zones identified by red lines. This region is South of the locations of Atlantis and Jack Saint Malo semi-subs and the features of Sigsbee Deep region have been examined previously [5]. The Sigsbee Abyssal Plain indicated by red arrow in Figure 2 is a deep and flat portion of the Gulf bottom.…”

Decommissioning forecast in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, 2013–2033

“…1 A barrel of oil equivalent (boe) expresses gas production in terms of its heat equivalence to crude oil using the conversion 6000 cf ¼ 1 boe ¼ 1 bbl. 2 Subsea completions are wellheads situated on the seafloor that are controlled using umbilicals with production piped from the subsea tree to a host structure. required since information private to the operator is not observable.…”