TCP is a strong, noncorrosive, spoolable, lightweight technology which is delivered in long lengths, resulting in a reduction of transportation and installation costs. TCP is installed using small vessels or subsea pallets, significantly reducing CO2 emissions. It is also 100% recyclable. Strohm secured a contract with Total and ExxonMobil for a qualification-testing program for a high-pressure, high-temperature (HP/HT) thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP). The qualification project will create a foundation for further development of this TCP technology for riser applications.

To achieve sustainable development goals, the United Nations (UN) agency International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from international vessels by 50% by 2050. Last month, the IMO agreed to make an existing target legally binding to reduce the carbon intensity of shipping by 40% compared with 2008 levels in the next 10 years. To achieve the UN’s directives, shipping leaders say the first net-zero ships must be operational by 2030. Norway is targeting a more ambitious goal: zero emissions in cruise ships and ferries by 2026. Shipping companies are looking to hydrogen as one of the most promising zero-emission fuels for offshore vessels.

McDermott moved its second shipment of topside modules for MODEC’s Miamte MV34 floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit from its Altamira fabrication facility in Mexico. This follows McDermott’s first shipment of modules from Altamira in October. The modules will travel from the Altamira fabrication facility to Singapore where integration will be performed at the Dyna-Mac fabrication yard. The scope of the work comprises five FPSO topside modules, delivered in two shipments. This second shipment includes modules that provide inlet separators, oil separation, a flare knockout drum, and sand-cleanup materials.

An ATCE session focused on subsea and offshore subsurface applications with much wider implications. The discussion included the electrification of both facilities and subsurface systems, as well as more-extensive deployment of sensing and flow control from the surface to the reservoir.

The vessel has a large, flush working deck and a multilevel cargo hold, enabling additional modular components to suit specific project requirements and integrate offshore activities. The Karish field is being developed using the Energean Power floating production, storage, and offloading unit (FPSO) to be installed 90 km offshore. The FPSO will have a gas-treatment capacity of 800 MMscf/D and liquids- storage capacity of 800,000 bbl. First gas is expected in 2H 2021. The charter agreement for the LNG-propulsion vessels is in line with Total’s Climate Ambition and will cut down on several emissions.

Africa (Sub-Sahara) An initial drillstem test on the Mzia-2 well in Block 1 flowed at a maximum rate of 57 million ft3 of gas per day, increasing the estimated recoverable resources from the field to 4.5 trillion ft3. This is the first test carried out on a Cretaceous discovery in deepwater offshore Tanzania. BG (60%) is the operator in partnership with Ophir Energy (40%). Asia Pacific Production has begun from the Wei Zhou 6-12 oil field in the Beibu Gulf basin in the north part of the South China Sea. The project has 10 producing wells drilled at an average water depth of 29.2 m. CNOOC has a 51% operating interest in partnership with Roc Oil, Horizon Oil, and Oil Australia. Salamander Energy signed production-sharing contracts for the Northeast Bangkanai and West Bangkanai license areas, onshore central Kalimantan in Indonesia. Each area covers approximately 2,214 sq miles.

Asia Pacific Santos discovered gas with the Corvus-2 well in the Carnarvon Basin, offshore Western Australia. The well, located in permit WA-45-R, in which Santos has a 100% interest, reached a total depth of 3998 m. It intersected a gross interval of 638 m, one of the largest columns discovered across the North West Shelf. Wireline logging to date has confirmed 245 m of net hydrocarbon pay across the target reservoirs. Total SA and partners ExxonMobil and Oil Search have signed a gas agreement with the government of Papua New Guinea that defines the fiscal framework for the Papua LNG project in the country's Eastern Highlands. The plan involves construction of three 2.7-mtpa LNG trains on the existing PNG-LNG plant site at Caution Bay just west of Port Moresby. Total has 31.1% interest, ExxonMobil has 28.3% interest, and Oil Search has 17.7%.

The FPSO will be capable of processing 90,000 B/D of crude, 75 million ft3/D, 120,000 B/D of water injection, and a storage capacity of 900,000 bbl of crude oil. First oil is planned for 2021. ExxonMobil is evaluating additional development opportunities in the Stabroek Block with plans for five drillships operating offshore Guyana by the end of 2020. Equinor awarded multimillion-dollar contracts to Aker Solutions and Wood for work on the oil field in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. It said about 70% of the contracts for the development phase is expected to go to Norwegian companies.

Work has resumed on Energan’s Singapore FPSO; subsea installation for the Karish project continues as planned. A fault was identified at the Leviathan platform’s production system. This comes a month after a malfunction was discovered at the project’s subsea pipeline. With production set to begin from the large Leviathan field by the end of this year, the Israeli government signed off on the final permits to allow for its first exports. Leviathan contains approximately two-thirds of all the gas resources discovered offshore Israel so far.

Work has resumed on Energan’s Singapore FPSO; subsea installation for the Karish project continues as planned. Upon completion, the FPSO will be the first permanently fiber rope-moored offshore facility in the Mediterranean, processing the reservoir fluids and export sales gas from the Karish and Tanin gas fields offshore Israel.