Amoco Congo Exploration Co. and partners have begun oil production from Yombo field off Congo.
The field lies in the Yombo-Masseko-Youbi exploitation permit area of the Marine I concession, which is about 50 miles northwest of Pointe-Noire.
Initial Yombo flow is about 6,000 b/d.
The partners will spend more than $500 million total for exploration and development of the Marine I concession by yearend 1992. Plans call for as many as 22 wells to be drilled from two platforms in the exploitation area by that time.
Amoco is the first U.S. company to operate production off Congo.
Yombo field also is the first production to involve direct working interest participation for state owned company Hydro-Congo.
Heavy Yombo crude oil is processed through facilities on a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel with a storage capacity of about 1.4 million bbl.
The Conkouati FPSO can process 35,000-40,000 b/d.
Conkouati is moored in 375 ft of water about 2 miles from two fixed platforms that support a drilling rig and completed wells.
High voltage submarine cables carry electrical power from the FPSO to the platforms.
Crude oil moves from the platforms to the FPSO through two 18 in. pipelines. Once processed, the oil is stored on the Conkouati until its transfer to shuttle tankers for transport to world markets.
Amoco Congo, a subsidiary of Amoco Production Co., holds a 43.75% working interest in the Marine I concession area.
Hydro-Congo owns a 50% interest, and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co., a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Co. holds a 6.25% interest.
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