Altera Infrastructure has been awarded contracts for the redeployment of the FPSO Voyageur Spirit and the shuttle tanker Nordic Brasilia for the Baleine Phase 2 project, located offshore Ivory Coast.
The vessels are set for deployment on the Baleine field with a 15-year firm contract. The development of the project will be on a fast-track schedule, with a planned start-up date for Phase 2 in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The vessels, Voyageur Spirit and Nordic Brasilia, are currently undergoing life extension work and field-specific modifications at Drydocks World in Dubai.
Voyageur Spirit is a cylindrical-shaped FPSO, that previously operated on the Huntington field in the North Sea until 2020. The shuttle tanker Nordic Brasilia will be converted into an FSO to provide additional storage capacity to the Voyageur FPSO. Altera will own and operate both vessels.
"The development of Baleine is Africa’s first net zero emissions project – (Scope 1 and 2) and Altera is excited to join Eni in moving the industry forward by focusing on more sustainable developments," Altera said.
Chris Brett, President of Altera Infrastructure Production: “Securing contracts in a promising region like Côte d'Ivoire is a significant acknowledgment of Altera’s capability in delivering complex projects on a fast-track timeline.
"This is now our second contract award in short succession based on the redeployment of an existing FPSO [the first being Petrojarl Knarr FPSO for Equinor's Rosebank project in the UK. OE] and demonstrates that redeployments are some of the fastest, most cost-effective, and emissions-friendly ways for our customers to develop their projects in the current market.
"With this award, we continue to build our project presence in Dubai and already have a presence in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire where we intend to be committed and engaged contributors to the development of a growing industry for many years to come.”
In late August, Eni started production of oil and gas from the first phase of the Baleine development, with first production coming less than two years after the discovery in September 2021 and less than a year and a half after the final investment decision.
Baleine has been described as the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Ivorian sedimentary basin.
For the initial phase, production takes place through the Baleine FPSO, a refurbished and upgraded unit capable of handling up to 15,000 bbl/d of oil and around 25 Mscf/d of associated gas. The start of Phase 2 is expected by the end of 2024 and will increase field production to 50,000 bbl/d of oil and approximately 70 Mscf/d of associated gas. The third development phase aims to elevate field production up to 150,000 bbl/d of oil and 200 Mscf/d of gas.
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