By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 18 -- The Thunder Horse semisubmersible platform's decking was 46 ft out of the water as of July 17, and its angle of list had been reduced to 5°, BP PLC said, adding that crews continued to work toward achieving normal trim.
The drilling, production, and quarters platform, on Mississippi Canyon Block 778 in the Gulf of Mexico, 150 miles southeast of New Orleans, was discovered listing 20-30° after Hurricane Dennis passed through the area (OGJ Online, July 12, 2005). The platform is moored in 6,050 ft of water.
The cause of the platform's imbalance has not been determined, and BP continues to assess the extent of the damage. Thunder Horse oil field is in development and has not yet begun production.
"The vessel is now near completely trim, with all water except for some residual evacuated off the vessel," BP said on July 17.
Crews worked to make the platform seaworthy and storm-safe as a precaution against changes in conditions resulting from the movement of Hurricane Emily into the western Gulf of Mexico.
Actions to seal ballast water inlets and plug instrumentation ports are complete, and other sealing and weather-proofing activities continued, BP said.
The Thunder Horse project was not due to start production until the end of 2005, and the platform is not yet connected to subsea oil wells. BP operates the development with 75% interest, and ExxonMobil Corp. has 25% interest.