BJ Services Completes Major Precomissioning Operation Offshore Nigeria for Technip France

08 May 2009

BJ Services announced that its process and pipeline services group has successfully completed a major precommissioning operation offshore Nigeria for Technip France on behalf of Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited, an affiliate of Chevron Corporation.

Developing Largest Deepwater Discovery in Nigeria

BJ Services carried out a series of precommissioning services associated with the development of the Agbami Field located offshore Nigeria in the central Niger Delta. The Agbami Field is the largest deepwater discovery in Nigeria, and is estimated to potentially hold recoverable volumes of 900 million barrels. The field is being developed using subsea wells tied back to an FPSO in approximately 4,700 ft (1433 m) of water. Treated and stabilized crude oil is being periodically offloaded from the FPSO through a number of midwater offloading lines connected from the stern of the FPSO to a single-point mooring (SPM) offloading buoy and multiple offloading hoses connected from the offloading buoy to a tanker moored to the buoy.

The scope of precommissioning services that BJ Services provided was two-fold: one dedicated to the flowlines and another for the umbilicals. Working from the FPSO with ROV support, BJ's primary goal was to displace the raw seawater in the flexible risers and flowlines with filtered treated seawater. This was achieved by using cleaning and gauging pig trains in the production and gas injection loops. The water injection risers and main flowlines were flooded while being laid. In sum, BJ provided engineering, procurement, flooding, cleaning, gauging, hydrotesting and dewatering during this phase of the precommissioning program.

With regard to the umbilicals, BJ Services monitored pressure while they were in transit from Europe, and performed hydraulic and electrical testing following load-out, as well as before, during and after installation.

BJ Services was awarded this contract by Technip France in February 2007. Before mobilizing, the process and pipeline services group provided engineering and planning services from its global headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland. Offshore operations, which commenced in spring 2008, were carried out by dedicated staff and equipment from its base in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and completed in nine months.

“Coupled with the fact that we worked in close cooperation with Technip France every step of the way, we are positive about the success of this deepwater operation on Agbami Field,” said Richard O'Dowd, BJ Services, business development manager—Europe and Africa, process and pipeline services. “We wish Technip France and Star Deep Water Petroleum every success with the safe, smooth and productive operation of the Agbami Field,” he added.

BJ Services' process and pipeline services group has been operating in Nigeria since the mid-1990s. The successful completion of the Agbami precommissioning operation further establishes the company's presence in the region.