BOEMRE approves first FPSO use in Gulf of Mexico

March 17, 2011
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement approved Petrobras America Inc.’s application to use a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel to produce oil and gas from its Chinook-Cascade project in the Gulf of Mexico.

Nick Snow
OGJ Washington Editor

WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 17 -- The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement approved Petrobras America Inc.’s application to use a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel to produce oil and gas from its Chinook-Cascade project in the Gulf of Mexico. This will be the first time that FPSO technology has been used in the gulf, the US Department of the Interior agency said on Mar. 17.

The BW Pioneer FPSO will receive production through dual flow lines, which connect it to two free-standing hybrid risers for each field, also a new technology for the gulf, Petrobras America said.

BOEMRE said it approved the project’s production safety system permit and supplemental deepwater operating plan following extensive consultations with the producer.

The FPSO will have a production capacity of 80,000 b/d of oil and 16 MMcfd of natural gas, with production expected to begin soon, it indicated.

The project is in the gulf’s Walker Ridge area in 8,200 ft of water about 165 miles off Louisiana.

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].