Shell Offshore Inc. let a contract to Deep Down Inc. for work related to the Whale development in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The order includes the design, engineering, and manufacturing of a riser isolation valve control system as well as other subsea production equipment. The control system will be installed on the floating production unit (FPU) to provide shutdown of production fluids.
Shell added to its Paleogene exploration success in the Perdido area in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico with the Whale discovery in January 2018 (OGJ Online, Jan. 31, 2018). The well, some 322 km southwest of Houston in 8,000 ft of water, encountered 1,400 net ft of oil-bearing pay.
The Whale FPU will operate in the Gulf of Mexico’s Alaminos Canyon Block 773, pending a positive final investment decision later this year.
