Page 53: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 1998)

INTERNATIONAL OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

Shell: A Ram-Powell Update

Shell Exploration & Production

Co. and its partners, Amoco Corp. and Exxon Corp., have installed a tension leg platform (TLP) in 3,214 ft. of water. Ram-Powell estab- lished a new world's water depth record for an oil and gas produc- tion platform — a record previous- ly held by Shell's Mars TLP in 2,940 ft. of water. "Ram-Powell is our third ten- sion leg platform to be installed in the Gulf of Mexico in a little over three years," said Rich

Pattarozzi, president and CEO of

Shell Deepwater Development Inc. "This is a significant accomplish- ment of which we are very proud.

By applying our learnings from previous deepwater TLP designs, construction and installations, we have been able to continue to reduce the time required to bring these projects on line and to lower total project costs."

Production began in September 1997. Daily production is expected to climb to design capacity of 60,000 barrels of oil and 200 mil- lion cubic ft. of gas per day by early 1998. Estimated ultimate recov- ery from the development is about 250 million barrels of oil equiva- lent.

Shell is operator of the Ram-

Powell project and holds a 38 per- cent interest in the project. Amoco and Exxon each have a 31 percent interest.

Exploration & Discovery

The Ram-Powell Unit encom- passes eight OCS leases in the

Viosca Knoll Area, located in the

Gulf of Mexico approximately 125 miles east/southeast of New

Orleans and approximately 80 miles south of Mobile, Ala. in water depths ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 ft. The leases were acquired for a total bonus of $16,169,000. Shell is the operator and has a 38 percent interest in the project.

In January 1995 Shell announced the partners' plans to develop Ram-Powell utilizing a tension leg platform (TLP) to be installed on Block 956 in 3,214 ft. of water. Estimated gross recovery from the planned development is about 250 million barrels of oil equivalent, with a 50/50 oil/gas ratio. The total project cost is expected to be approximately $1 billion, excluding lease costs.

Production began in September 1997, and the facilities are designed for peak gross production of about 60,000 bpd and 200 mil- lion cu. ft. of natural gas per day.

Production from the platform will be transported approximately 25 miles via a 12-in. diameter oil pipeline to Main Pass 289C and a 14-in. gas pipeline to Viosca Knoll 817.

Engineered To Last

The Ram-Powell TLP was

Exclusive agents for MARITIME REPORTER

AND

ENGINEERING NEWS in Scandinavia i

AB STEPHAN R G ORN

P.O. BOX 184

S-271 24 Ystad

SWEDEN Tel: +46 411 184 00

Fax: +46 411 105 31 e-mail:marine. [email protected]

Scandinavian Marine Industries

Established Consultants on International promotion for the

Scandinavian Marine Industry for more than 25 years.

April, 1998

Pack your stern tube with grease-free GFO fiber packing and forget about it until the next scheduled haulout. Here's a proven long-lasting high-tech marine packing that's virtually maintenance free and hardly ever drips. It runs cooler than flax, and never gets hard or abrasive, so shaft damage is a thing of the past. Put an end to your packing problems, and start experiencing cost savings today.

Call 800-455-2791 for more information or to order GFO fiber marine packing.

GORE

Creative Technologies

Worldwide

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

Sealant Technologies Group

P.O. Box 1010, Elkton, MD 21922

Fax 410-392-4817

GFO and the marine service packing logo are trademarks of

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. °1998 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

Circle 325 on Reader Service Card