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Middle East 10% of Total’s total production in 2012. 1972, by drilling 150 wells by 2028 to

Abu Al Bukhoosh, which extends over double production. 20sq km, was discovered in 1969 and Zadco, a partnership between ADNOC, production started in 1974. In total, the ExxonMobil, and JADCO, is currently ? eld now has 116 wells, 23 platforms, expanding the Zakum ? eld, with for 29 subsea lines, and seven subsea wells four new arti? cial islands and additional and recovery rates have reached 55%, satellite platforms. The offshore facilities through advanced seismic and enhanced are due to complete in 2015, with the oil recovery techniques, including gas islands completing next. Upper Zakum lift, from 1981, and gas injection, from sits 84km northwest of Abu Dhabi. It 1991, to aid reservoir understanding. already comprises some 90 platforms,

Technologies such as electrical sub- including an accommodation platform mersible pumps (ESP) are key for some able to house 550 people. Zadco says offshore ? elds, such as Abu Dhabi Oil Zakum, is the second largest oil ? eld in

Co.’s Mubarraz concession. The ? rst was the Arabian Gulf, containing some 50 installed on the concession in 1975. By billion bo.

September 2014, 45 producers on the Scottish Enterprise’s report says, over- concession contain ESPs. all in the Middle East, in 2012-17, some

Operators, including international 92 new installations are expected to be ? rms such as BP and Statoil, have been installed offshore the UAE, 56 offshore discussing how CO could be used for Iran and 48 offshore Saudi Arabia, taking 2

EOR in the Middle East, to reduce natural the total in the MENA region from 1807

In 2005, Maersk Oil Qatar approved a ? eld development plan for a major gas use for injection but also deal with at the end of 2012 to nearly 1994 by the expansion of the Al Shaheen ? eld

CO . During the Abu Dhabi International end of 2017. 2 infrastructure, with 15 new process and

Petroleum Exhibition & Conference Fixed structures (including piled plat-

Photo from Maersk Oil.

wellhead platforms. (ADIPEC), Masdar and ADNOC forms, gravel islands, caisson platforms, on asset management strengthening. announced Al Reyadah, the Middle East’s jackups and gravity-based structures)

ADNOC more and more are using us ? rst company focused on exploring and will likely account for most of the new to do ? nite element analysis on aging developing commercial scale projects facilities, having represented some 96% assets. Assets are getting older, most for carbon capture, use and sequestra- of offshore platform spend over the 2008- were designed for a 20-25-year life and tion. Japan’s JOGMEC is also carrying out 2012 period.

of these are 25+ years old, with some most are now required to operate beyond research and development with ADNOC But, the focus is not just on existing beyond 40 years, says Anupam Ghosal, that. Oil is more valuable than it has on CO for EOR. ? elds. ADNOC has said it is planning to 2

DNV GL services line area manager for been and although it is near to $80/bbl, Operators are also spending cash increase production capacity to 3.5MM veri? cation in the Middle East and India. this historically is still a high number. extending and redeveloping ? elds. In b/d by 2018. ADMA-OPCO, ADNOC’s This alone means there is a signi? - Underpinning all of that, without a doubt 2005, Maersk Oil agreed a plan to expand offshore arm, is expected to contribute cant amount of work to do. Abu Dhabi the industry worries more about facili- the Al Shaheen ? eld, offshore Qatar, about half of this, from existing ? elds,

Marine Operating Co. (ADMA-OPCO) has ties than ever before, particularly as they with a further 15 new platforms and 160 but also from new ? elds, including Umm launched various life extension projects are pushing the envelope. The challenge production and water injection wells. By Lulu and Nasr. ADMA-OPCO recently and plans to upgrade and replace all its in the Middle East is that there is a huge 2012, Al Shaheen totaled 35 platforms agreed three contract packages for Nasr, aging pipeline networks by 2030, for number of structures. Because the water and produced around 40% of Qatar’s oil with NPCC, Hyundai Heavy Industries example, DNV GL says. depth is shallow very often ? elds are and gas output. and Technip. The project will include

Aging assets attracted FoundOcean exploited using multiple small platforms, Last year, Qatar Petroleum announced seven new wellhead towers, and 110km to the region. The company opened an so there is a lot of steel in the water.” it was going to invest some US$11 billion in? eld pipelines. of? ce in Dubai in early 2014, offering Another challenge for the region is the redeveloping the offshore Bul Hanine Umm Lulu project, due to be complete strengthening, modi? cation and repair scale of the reservoirs and in managing oil? eld, which has been onstream since in 2018, will comprise six well head tow- work, using grouting and fabric form- hydrocarbon processing through the ers and six other new platforms, as works out of Sharjah, and will be looking life of the ? elds, including dealing well as in? eld pipelines and cables. to expand into Saudi Arabia and Qatar. with larger amounts of produced National Petroleum Construction

Naval Sundhu, associate director, water and sour production. Co. has the EPC contract for the

FoundOcean, says: “The Middle As well as maintaining assets, a project, part in partnership with

East has lots of structures get- large focus is on pushing up recovery Technip. ting close or well beyond their rates at these existing giant ? elds. Qatar is working on the North original design life, so there is Total, which is the only interna- Field Barzan Project, which a lot of demand for ensuring tional oil company to operate a ? eld includes on and offshore facilities. structural integrity and for the in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Qatar Petroleum is also assessing pipelines that start to suffer from Japan’s Inpex, has been “pushing its 2013 Khuff discovery, the ? rst free span movement.” recovery to the limits” at the Abu Al new gas discovery offshore Qatar in

Martin Grant, CEO of Energy Bukhoosh ? eld using advanced seis- more than 40 years in exploration at UK-based engineering mic and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) Block 4 North. Further exploration and project management ? rm Atkins technologies. is ongoing.

The United Arab Emirates and key infrastructure. says: “We are ? nding there is a focus UAE production amounted to Meanwhile other countries are

Image from the US Energy Information Administration.

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