Page 42: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2, 2010)

Maritime Reporter had the chance to pick the brain of Kent Stingl, Shell’s

Project Manager for the Parque das Con- chas (BC-10) project, a multi-billion heavy oil subsea development in the ultra deepwater offshore Brazil, to discuss off- shore oil and gas trends.

What are the two or three significant changes that have advanced the busi- ness of subsea technology?

Kent Stingl Subsea technology is developing so quickly it is hard to pick just two or three. There are four that come to mind. First, the use of electri- cally heated flowlines that precludes the need for looped flowline systems to man- age flow assurance issues. Second, the use of the Shell patented Heave Com- pensated Landing System which allows subsea hardware including tubing head spools, subsea trees and jumpers to be in- stalled offline of the rig with a much cheaper anchor-handling vessel. Third, the use of Surface BOP’s for drilling and completions that allows the use of a much cheaper Generation type 3 rig for very deep waters. Fourth, the develop- ment and use of Multi Phase Flow Me- ters which allows for accurate metering and allocation which enable the com- mingling of production subsea and thereby reduce complexity and costs.

What technologies have had the biggest impact on the efficiency of subsea operations?

KS The recent development of sub- sea fluid separation and pressure boost- ing technology such as that developed for

BC-10 in Brazil and Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico allows us to develop much lower pressured reservoirs and heavier oils which until recently would have been stranded.

What does Shell do that sets itself apart from the competition?

KS Shell is a subsea technology leader. Shell is unique in that we take a full systems and life cycle approach to the development and maturation of sub- sea technologies. We strive to develop new technologies, mature those tech- nologies and then standardize on their implementation and operation.

What are the primary drivers for your business?

KS In a word: value. It drives our business and is what our customers and stakeholders expect. We strive to safely deliver top quartile performance projects on a unit development cost basis. 42 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

FEATURE OFFSHORE ANNUAL

Blazing the path with

Shell Offshore

Left and right:

The Espirito Santo Floating Produc- tion, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.