An offshore operator in Malaysia had run a completion string in a highly deviated 7-in. gas well. When continuous pressure build-up in the production casing annulus was observed during well clean-up, leakage in the completion system was suspected. After several attempts to mitigate the pressure build-up failed, the operator initiated further investigation, which confirmed the suspicion. Small tubing leaks that were allowing produced gas inside the tubing to seep through to the annulus were found. These leaks could have allowed the pressure to increase, and possibly, could have caused the casing to collapse. In order to produce through the annulus, the pressure would have to be vented. With the high demand of gas in Malaysia and since the rig was still at the location, the project team decided to initiate immediate recompletion of the project instead of waiting for a later intervention. This well is one of three wells completed to develop the FN field within KCL area, located approximately 200 km offshore from Bintulu. The field was expected to deliver up to 100mmscf/day per well to help relieve an anticipated gas shortage. This paper discusses the history of the wells, the diagnostic methods used to analyze the well problems, the pros and cons of each solution considered, details regarding the recompletion chosen, and the challenges encountered during the recompletion activities. The discussion also highlights the successful solution used for closing and reopening the fluid loss isolation barrier valve (FLIBV) with a wireline tractor rather than with other options considered after conducting a successful system integration test (SIT) prior to the project execution. The unique solution chosen was a first for Malaysia, and probably, for the world. The success of the recompletion results provided improvements for future applications and will be a benchmark solution for future operations.
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