Byron Energy has completed the installation of a 500ft, 4in oil and 7000ftm 6in gas pipelines on the South Marsh Island 71 (SM 71) oil and gas development in the central US Gulf of Mexico, says partner Otto Energy.
Each pipeline has been laid and buried to within tie-in distance to the SM 71 F platform and their respective sales lines. Final tie-in work at the platform end and sales lines will be made by dive crews soon afterthe jacket and decks are installed at the platform location in SM 71.
All project pipeline work will be performed by Chet Morrison Construction from Houma, Louisiana.
Additionally, the operator has advised that the timeline for load-out and installation of the Byron-operated SM 71 F production platform has been set. Construction work in Galveston, Texas, is proceeding to schedule and the onshore construction portion of the project is nearly complete. The three-day process of loading the jacket, pilings and decks on to material barges is currently slated to begin on 30 October 2017.
After load-out, work to tie-down all equipment is expected to take about six days. By 7 November 2017, the barges should be ready for the two-day transit to SM 71.
Once on location at SM 71, the Tetra Hedron derrick barge will start to set the jacket and drive the pilings to secure it to the sea floor. After that step, the deck will be lifted into position and welded in place on top of the jacket.
In total, installation operations are expected to take six days offshore, weather permitting.
Otto holds a 50% working interest (40.625% net revenue interest) in South Marsh Island Block 71. The operator, Byron, holds the remaining 50% working interest.
Otto’s Managing Director, Matthew Allen said: “Otto looks forward to the successful completion of the SM 71 development in the coming months and first production and cashflow being generated in early 2018.”
In September, Byron Energy signed a drilling contract with Ensco Offshore for the Ensco 68 jackup rig to drill at the company’s South Marsh Island Block 71 drilling and completion program in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Ensco 68 will be available by the end of November 2017 after Byron sets its tripod production facility on the lease. The 60-day contract will allow Byron to drill the SM71 F2 well and then complete the SM71 F2 and SM71 F1 (previously referred to as SM 71 #1) wells.
Water depth is about 137ft.