MMS approves Cascade-Chinook FPSO development plans

April 29, 2008
The US Minerals Management Service has approved development plans for the Cascade-Chinook oil and natural gas project in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Apr. 29 -- The US Minerals Management Service has approved development plans for the Cascade-Chinook oil and natural gas project in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico. Cascade-Chinook lies 165 miles off Louisiana in 8,200 ft of water.

The project, operated by Brazil's Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), will involve the first use of a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel in the gulf.

"The Cascade-Chinook project will be the first production from deep discoveries in the Lower Tertiary trend of the Walker Ridge and Keathley Canyon areas of the gulf," said Lars Herbst, regional director for the MMS gulf region.

"This is an important step for Petrobras and all oil and gas operators exploring in deepwater Gulf of Mexico," Herbst said, adding, "The FPSO and many associated first-use technologies lead the way in providing the infrastructure necessary to produce safely in the gulf's ultradeep water."

The next step in the development process is the MMS review of Petrobras's deepwater operations plan, which outlines the specific details and capabilities of the FPSO facility and associated new technologies, must be approved before production can begin.