Tense wait on Dorado floater

摘要

OPERATOR Santos has major contractors on tenterhooks as it considers which will supply the two centrepiece production facilities for its US$2 billion Dorado oil project off Western Australia. Dorado is the most exciting offshore oil discovery in Australia in the past decade or more, with a current recoverable liquids resource of 158 million barrels of oil on a best estimate gross basis. The two centrepiece production facilities will be a floating production, storage and offloading vessel and an offshore platform. Award of the contracts was postponed earlier this year when Santos delayed a final investment decision on the project. Awards are now expected in the third quarter this year. For the FPSO, three contractors are competing for what is believed to be a long-term highly lucrative lease contract - Altera Infrastructure (formerly Teekay), BW Offshore and Modec.