Silvermere, the independent oil and gas company focusing principally on appraisal and production opportunities in the US, provides an update on preparations for production from the I-1 well in its Mustang Island 818-L Field , located offshore Kleberg County, in Texas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Load out of the platform, tripod and pilings commenced on Monday 9th April, 2012. The load out phase involves the tripod, platform and associated equipment being loaded and “tied down” onto the barges which are currently on location at Laredo’s yard in Galveston. Once loaded, the barges will be towed by tugs to the designated well location.
The installation is a 3 phase programme. First, the tripod base structure is installed. This operation is conducted by pile driving large metal supports through the legs of the tripod into the seabed to ensure the stability of the structure. The pilings will be driven to 180′ below the mud line or to the point of refusal. Phase 2 involves the main deck structure being raised by crane barge and lowered onto the tripod and welded in place. Phase 3 is the pipeline hook up.
Operations are under the control of Laredo Construction, Inc. under a turnkey installation contract. As such, Laredo will monitor the weather and determine when the conditions are conducive to safe operations.
“Although we are now into April, the weather remains a factor, particularly for Phase I of the programme and operations may be affected.” reads Silvermere’s statement.
“The facility has been designed to allow for the production from 3 future wells and we view the installation of this platform as a major milestone in the development of the reserves in the Mustang Island 818 Leases.”
[mappress] Source: Silvermere, April 13, 2012