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EyebrowProduction water and compress gas. Produced oil will be exported via a looped pipeline and two loading points to offoad to ice- strengthened tankers.The Ben Nevis and

Hebron felds are expected to produce 80% of the 20°API heavy oil on the project. Oil production capacity is planned for 119,506 to 176,115 b/d with treating capacity of 188,694 to 283,041 b/d of produced water for disposal overboard. Gas will be com- pressed at a rate of 53.0 to 70.6 MMcf/d.

Storage capacity is 1.45 MMbbl.

China

Peng Lai 19-3 in the Bohai Bay is China’s largest offshore oil feld. The Bozhong

Block 11/05 play is found in 75ft water and produces 21°API heavy oil.

ConocoPhillips (49% interest) operates

ExxonMobil expects its 52-well Hebron the project for its partner, Chinese state development project ofshore Newfoundland company CNOOC (51%). The feld was to bring in frst oil in 2017.

Photos from ExxonMobil.

development with an installation of a

Arabia in total oil reserves, active heavy the ffth feld. The double-hulled Espirito 24-slot wellhead platform and the leased, oil-producing countries also include the Santo FPSO has enough power and heat barge-type Bohai Ming Zhu FPSO that

US (California), Mexico, Brazil, Russia, delivery systems to drive the system and includes processing and storage facilities,

Indonesia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Iraq, process heavy crude oil. With a produc- accommodation quarters, power generators

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Chad and Angola,” tion capacity of 100,000 b/d, the Espirito and a fare. The Bohai Ming Zhu FPSO is reports the company. Santo facility will process heavy crudes capable of processing up to 45,000 b/d and

For now, many of the major exploration that range from 16° to 24° gravity API.

storing more than 360,000 bo.

and production companies are continuing

Canada Morocco to eke out profts as they work offshore

In late 2014, ExxonMobil tapped Cameron Cairn Energy has updated its JM-1 explora- heavy oil exploration and developments.

At a glance: for the supply of large-bore wellheads, tion well offshore Morocco. In the Upper

Top 15 heavy oil markets

Brazil production trees and risers to be installed at

Jurassic, the well confrmed the presence (includes onshore and ofshore)

In February 2015, Petrobras discovered of heavy oil over a 110m gross interval as the 52-well Hebron development proj-

BrazilIndonesiaOman new oil accumulations in offshore conces- tested in the 1968 MO-2 well, 2km from ect offshore Newfoundland. First oil is

CanadaIranRussia sion BM-C-35 (exploratory block C-M- JM-1. The company plans to correlate core expected in 2017. The Hebron heavy oil

ChinaIraq Saudi Arabia feld near Terra Nova, Hibernia and White 535) found in the Campos Basin post-salt and log data with other wells on Cap Juby layer (OE: March 2015). The discovery to assess the hydrocarbon potentials.

Rose felds is about 220mi offshore the east-

ColombiaKuwait USA was made while drilling well 1-BRSA- ern coast of Canada’s Newfoundland and

EcuadorMexicoVenezuela

UK 1289-RJS, also known as 1-RJS-737, and

Labrador in the Jeanne d’Arc basin about

Source: Visiongain

EnQuest is further developing its pro- 302ft deep, and is estimated to contain informally known as Basilisco. The well reserves of lighter crude oils dwindle and gram for heavy-oil play Kraken found in between 400 and 700 MMbbl of recover- was drilled at a water depth of 2214m and the rate of new discoveries decreases, oil the UK sector of the North Sea on Block able resources (OE: November 2014). The about 143km from the city of Armação and gas companies are increasingly look- 9/2b. EnQuest (45% interest) operates project includes the Hebron, West Ben dos Búzios on the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Nevis and Ben Nevis felds from four ing to alternative hydrocarbon sources to the feld for its partners Celtic Oil (30%)

Heavy oil has been found at 3190m and reservoirs, including the Lower Cretaceous plug the gap,” reports Robin Ray, energy and Nautical (25%). Development drill- at 3521m. The consortium of concession

Ben Nevis, the Lower Cretaceous Avalon, analyst for VisionGain. “Heavy oil is one ing will begin during 2H 2015 with the

BM-C-35, operated by Petrobras (65% the Lower Cretaceous Hibernia and the of those sources.”Such heavy oil plays Transocean Leader, a mid-water semisub- interest) in partnership with BP (35%),

Upper Jurassic Jeanne d’Arc reservoirs. offer signifcant growth and investment mersible. EnQuest’s program for Kraken are testing the extension of the discoveries

Production will begin in the Ben Nevis, opportunities as international companies during 2015 includes installation of and the concession’s exploratory potential.

Hibernia and Jeanne d’Arc reservoirs on the join to form partnerships for develop- Also, Brazil’s Parque das Conchas subsea hardware, including manifolds for

Hebron feld, with gas storage in the Ben ment. In the long run, as commodity project, a Shell development, is continu- the frst drill center, two templates for the

Nevis reservoir of the West Ben Nevis feld. prices recover, energy demand grows ing and is notable as the frst project feld second drill center and installation of the

Oil production is expected to be enhanced and major conventional oil discoveries development incorporating subsea oil and mooring system for an FPSO. via water injection, and produced gas will become increasingly rare, the economics gas separation and subsea pumping for be used for artifcial lift. Hebron includes a of heavy oil should steadily improve. the company. During two development

FURTHER READING stand-alone gravity-based structure consist- Today, more than 30 countries are phases, the felds were developed by 13 ing of a single main shaft to encompass the known to possess recoverable heavy oil wells tied-back to the centrally located wells, support the production and living

For further information on ofshore heavy reserves, according to Halliburton. “Led Espirito Santo FPSO, moored in 5840ft oil developments, see “Spotlight on Latin topsides, and separate the produced oil, by Canada and Venezuela (Canada’s heavy of water. The frst phase developed four

America” at oedigital.com. gas and water, as well as treat produced oil deposits rank second only to Saudi felds, and the second phase will develop oedigital.com May 2015 | OE 77 076_OE0515_ProdOps1_Jeannie.indd 77 4/20/15 4:04 PM