Aberdeen-based Xodus Group has won a contract with North Sea operator Apache to deliver subsea engineering services for two new infill well developments at the Nevis and Skene fields in the northern North Sea.
The project includes a novel idea of designing and fabricating spools with no requirement for metrology focusing on time and effort savings.
The latest win follows a number of successful projects delivered for the operator over the last 18 months, including the concept, front end engineering design and detailed design studies for the three-mil Beryl field Far North Triassic subsea tie-back. This consisted of a production flexible, gas lift flexible and an electro-hydraulic controls umbilical tied back to the Beryl Bravo platform.
In addition to performing the detailed design, Xodus also package managed the delivery of the production flexible on behalf of Apache and helped the operator to achieve first oil just 11 months after drilling the well, ahead of schedule and over 30 percent under budget.
Andrew Wylie, Scotland Subsea & Pipelines Manager at Xodus, said: “We are involved with Apache in the very early stages of a project and they give us the freedom to think about the challenge so that we can focus on finding the best and most efficient solution. Apache and Xodus have similar cultures embedded within their teams, which allows us to add technical value and deliver cost savings.”
Apache entered the North Sea in 2003 and has an interest in approximately 400,000 gross acres in the North Sea. Patrick Duggan, Subsea Projects Manager of Apache added: “We are pleased to continue to build on our relationship with Xodus to progress our planned infill well programme, which will bring additional North Sea production to our portfolio.”
Xodus will be presenting at Subsea Expo next month. Along with funding partner OGIC (Oil and Gas Innovation Centre) and academic partner, Dundee University, Xodus has been undertaking a project to investigate the recovery loads of skirted subsea structures on a soft clay seabed. The first phase of modelling testing has recently been completed with a second phase to be completed this year
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