Catcher Project Remains on Schedule
Thursday 16 November 2017
The Catcher project remains on schedule for first oil during December. The FPSO arrived on location on 18 October and the production buoy was successfully pulled into the hull. In the subsequent period the full hook-up process has been essentially finished with the risers, umbilicals and the installation of the ESDVs now complete. The swivel stack is in place and the geostationary pipework connected with the final rotation test due imminently. Testing of the offloading interface with the cargo tanker is underway. Commissioning activities including the running of main power generation, chemical bunkering, system filling, shutdown system testing and system leak testing, which commenced in parallel are ongoing and will be ready for the introduction of hydrocarbons from the Catcher field shortly.
The development drilling programme continues ahead of schedule. The 12 wells originally planned pre-first oil (eight producers and four injectors) have been drilled, completed and tied back to the FPSO and drilling activities on phase 2 of the Catcher development wells are ongoing. The first of these phase 2 wells (CCP9) continued the trend of delivering results on, or better than, prognosis in terms of reservoir quality and flow rates. Total project capex, including remaining contingency is forecast at $1.6 billion, 29 per cent lower than the sanctioned estimate.