MARGINAL FIELD SOLUTIONS
Recent offshore drilling success in marginal shallow-water development has spurred tremendous growth in new and innovative solutions that are required to reduce total cost of ownership, mitigate earthquake/ decomissioning risks, shorten development schedules, extend service life of a production facility (relocatability) and exploit previously uneconomical fields. As a result, the extant technology of a fixed (jacket) platform for drilling, production, or utility platform has clearly become the legacy solution due to its inherent shortcomings.
Capitalizing on the proven technologies of TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) and Cell Spar, the two preferred solutions for deep-water development around the world, Petroneering has innovatively developed the McT (Multi-column Tension Leg Platform) to solve the conundrums in shallow-water marginal fields. With respect to the technical capability and design philosophy, McT is an evolutionary enhancement of TLP and proprietary technology, patented by Petroneering. This key emergent solution was technologically incubated and has been commercially endorsed by Mr. Ed Horton, the offshore industry pioneer and legendary inventor of Spar and TLP.
McT technology can be used for drilling, production and utility platform, with vertical mooring lines installed from sea floor to the McT hull. The vertical mooring lines act like tendons in TLP applications. The McT production risers may be either, or both, dry and subsea tree risers. Dry trees provide lower costs, easier maintenance, and generally better well control and production flexibility. On the other hand the subsea trees typically provide more flexibility in terms of accessing well locations i.e. remote satellite wellheads.
Compared to fixed (jacket) platform, McT offers clear advantages in terms of superior cost efficiency, faster delivery schedule, efficient fabrication method, simpler engineering requirement, global performance and relocatability of a facility. These serve as the catalysts and true competitive differentiators underpinning executable growth in oil & gas exploration activities to overcome the marginal field development in shallow-water.
