Nigeria’s Aje Field FPSO Readies for First Oil Lifting

First crude oil lifting from the Front Puffin FPSO vessel in the Aje Field offshore Nigeria is expected to take place at the end of August now that commissioning has been completed, according to Panoro Energy.

The company said on July 19 that the vessel is on hire following a 72-hr test. However, stabilized production rates have not been achieved due to mechanical issues and Nigerian regulatory approvals—issues that could take until year-end 2016 to resolve.

Production is being held steady at a restricted rate of between 7,000 bbl/d and 8,000 bbl/d as the company works to further reduce costs at the field and plan for Aje Phase 2, with more Cenomanian oil wells.

“In the meantime we continue to be encouraged by the performance of the reservoir to date,” Panoro said.

Gina Krog FSO Gets Relatchable Bend Stiffener Connector

First Subsea said it has supplied a relatchable bend stiffener connector (BSC) to NOV Completion & Production Solutions for a flexible production riser for the turret-moored floating, storage and offloading (FSO) vessel in the Norwegian North Sea.

The vessel is being used in the Statoil-operated Statoil’s Gina Krog Field, located north of the Sleipner A platform and near the Eirin Field subsea development.

As described in a news release from First Subsea, the connector includes “a ball and taper connector attached to a bend stiffener, which is pulled into a pre-machined, compact J-tube built into the turret. During pull-in the end fitting is fixed to the male BSC, once locked into the receptacle, the end fitting is detached, allowing the end fitting and 9-in. production riser to slide up into the J-tube.”

Among the connector’s features is an automatic release clamp, which enables riser and umbilical connections without ROVs and divers. First Subsea said the Type II connector being used for the Gina Krog project also features a reconnect system, an attribute that allows the end fitting to be unlatched and riser uninstalled and reconnected when needed.

Offshore