Lessons Learned From a Comprehensive Review of Integration and Installation Phases of Gulf of Mexico Floating Production Systems

摘要

Beginning in 1986, with the Placid Oil GC 29 development using a converted drilling semisubmersiblernin 460 m of water, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been the incubator of deepwater Floating ProductionrnSystem (FPS) innovation. In the following 30 years over fifty FPSs that included Tension Leg Platformsrn(TLPs), Spar platforms (Spars) and Semisubmersible platforms (Semisubs), were sanctioned (Figure 1).rnDeepwater frontiers have been extended to over 2,900 m in that span. Many technical and commercialrnchallenges have been managed and overcome in doing so. In the wake of the recent collapse in oil andrngas prices and the specter of a prolonged period of low hydrocarbon prices, the industry is confrontingrnperhaps its most formidable challenge in developing new deepwater fields in the GOM that require a hostrnfacility.rnHistorically, all too frequent project execution cost and schedule overruns were masked by rising oilrnprices. In many instances, the topside to hull integration, platform installation and hook-up to mooring andrnriser systems and commissioning (Integration and Installation Phase) have been the root cause of overrunsrnas they are high risk, high consequence activities with little float for schedule recovery. In the current lowrnoil price environment there is little margin for error for Integration and Installation (I&I) miscues thatrnrapidly erode project value.rnThe authors have reviewed the critical I&I phase performance of thirty-three (33) TLP, Spar andrnSemisub platforms in the GOM and substantiated the review based on either first-hand experience, publicrndomain information or in discussions with project team leaderships. The objective is to provide performancernbenchmarks, observations and recommendations for future FPS developments in the GOM to helprnavoid repetition of costly missteps and delays and incorporate lessons from those projects that have beenrnwell executed.