Teekay Offshore Partners is to acquire the aged fpso Pertojarl I from parent Teekay Corp as part of a contract to supply a floater to Brazilian company QGEP for the development of the ATLANTA field in Santos Basin.

The total $240mn cost to TOP includes $57mn to acquire the unit which will be used an early production system plus upgrades at the Damen yard in Schiedam. The five-year charter is due to generate $275-300mn.

The field is in 1,550m and has recoverable reserves of 260mmbbls.

TOP has now also acquired the PETROJARL KNARR (31/18) fpso, to be leased to BG Norge for the eponymous field, from its parent for $1.2bn, financed by $815mn in long-term debt and $400mn in short term from Teekay.

Eni is the latest amongst the big international operators to begin producing from Angola’s deepwater reservoirs with first oil from its WEST HUB (SEN, 31/13) fpso development in Block 15/06.

Producing to N’Goma fpso, chartered from SBM Offshore and moored in 1,250m, the field began flowing at 45,000b/d with ramp up heading for 100,000b/d within a few months. When the companion East Hub (31/14) project comes onstream in two years, the 15/06 complex will reach 200,000b/d.

The block, first awarded to Eni in 2006 with the first find made two years later, has had 24 exploration and appraisal wells drilled on it, finding 3bnbbls in place and recoverable reserves of 850mmbbls.

The West Hub is actually comprised of seven fields - Sangos, Cingvu, Mpungi and M Nort Area, Vandumbu and Ochigufu - grouped in three clusters and it took less than four years (44 months) from declaration of commerciality to first oil. Eni said that this quick route to production is the result of its ‘modular development model’.

The three clusters will have 21 subsea wells with hardware from GE Oil & Gas. Aker Solutions supplied the steel-tubed umbilicals, while Technp provided flowlines and risers and handled the transportation and installation of subsea equipment and structures.

From Australia (RW): Woodside expects to begin the FEED phase for the proposed BROWSE BASIN (SEN, 31/18) floating LNG development in mid-2015. Partners BP, Japan Australia LNG, PetroChina and Shell have all agreed to the revised schedule.

Woodside said the delay will take into account the substantial shift in market conditions which will enable the joint venture to seek significantly lower costs for the project.

Woodside CEO Peter Coleman said the time will be used to maximise long-term economic benefits for the development.

‘The JV intends to take the opportunity to go back to the shipyard, the designers and the suppliers and make sure they are beginning to put some of the cost reductions into the numbers that they’re showing us,’ he said. ‘We don’t want to move forward...at this point and miss the opportunity of locking some lower prices into our cost.’

Activities to be undertaken leading up to FEED include progressing primary approvals for the project, managing the impacts of the maritime boundary changes affecting the retention leases and technical work to optimise and de-risk the development. A final investment decision is due in mid-2016.

The hull of the first of Petrobras’ ‘replicant’ fpso’s, destined for the LULA SUL (31/15) field, is being moved from the Rio Grande 1 shipyard to Brasfels for the installation of its topside modules and system integration. The fpso, the first of eight, is 288m by 54m with a processing capacity of 150,000b/d and 6mcm/d and storage for 1.67mmbbls. This unit will be moored in 2,200m.

While on Petrobras, first oil has flowed from IRACEMA SUL (31/11) to the fpso Cidade de Mangaratiba, supplied on a 20-year charter from Modec. Moored in 2,200m, the unit has the same capacitIES as the replicants.

From the North Sea (NT): BP’s SKARV (31/17) field, where production was shut in in early November (SEN 31/17), came back onstream on 22 November.

Oil production is close to maximum, but gas output is restricted as only one of the two gas export trains is available, BP tells SEN. A new high voltage transformer will have to be installed before gas export can return to normal, which is due to take several months.

From Australia (RW): Plans for Shell’s PRELUDE (31/14) floating LNG project, offshore Western Australia, are on track for a pivotal year.

Shell says it will operate with a ‘fly-in-fly-out’ workforce of about 240 personnel with the main construction activity underway in the Geoje, South Korea shipyard of Samsung Heavy Industries. About 100 Australians will be lodged there as future operators of the project to familiarise themselves with the FLNG vessel.

In 2015 Shell also intends to award 45 key contracts - about 30% of the total - to support operations. These will include facilities management, maintenance, laboratory services and production chemicals. More than 70% of procurement, contracting and operations will be contracted locally.

Otto Energy has sold all of its shares in the Galoc Production Co, which operates the GALOC (31/13) field, offshore the Philippines, for $108mn to partner Nido Petroleum.

Offshore