Chevron reports start of Tahiti spar hull construction

Nov. 7, 2005
France's Technip has started cutting steel for construction of the spar hull and topsides modules of a floating production and mooring system to be installed in the deepwater Tahiti field in the Gulf of Mexico (OGJ, Oct. 3, 2005, Newsletter).

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Nov. 7 -- France's Technip has started cutting steel for construction of the spar hull and topsides modules of a floating production and mooring system to be installed in the deepwater Tahiti field in the Gulf of Mexico (OGJ, Oct. 3, 2005, Newsletter).

Chevron Corp. said that steel was cut for the hull starting on Oct. 16 at a Technip yard in Pori, Finland. Steel was cut for the topsides modules starting on Oct. 18 at Technip subsidiary Gulf Marine Fabricators at its yard near Corpus Christi, Tex.

The deepwater spar hull will be 170 m long and 39 m in diameter and have a steel weight of 24,000 tonnes. It is slated for delivery to the Gulf of Mexico by mid-2007, with topsides fabrication expected to be completed at about the same time.

Tahiti field lies on Green Canyon Blocks 596, 597, 640, and 641 in 4,200 ft of water about 190 miles southwest of New Orleans.

The Tahiti facility will have the capacity to produce 125,000 b/d of oil and 70 MMscfd of gas and treat 120,000 b/d of produced water. The topsides will include a 9,950-ton production module, a 6,500-ton utility module, and a 2,500-ton module support frame.

Chevron is the operator of the Tahiti project with 58% working interest. Tahiti partners are Statoil ASA 25% and Shell Exploration & Production Co. 17%.