Trendsetter’s 20K intervention solution gets its first action on Gulf of America oil project

Texas-based subsea oil and gas equipment and services player Trendsetter Engineering has tucked a new milestone under its belt with the first delivery of its flagship 20,000 psi (20K) intervention system, which has been deployed from Transocean’s drillship at a deepwater oil project operated by the U.S.-headquartered Beacon Offshore Energy in the Gulf of America, formerly the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

While disclosing this achievement in the Gulf of America, the U.S. player explained that the deployment was done from the Deepwater Atlas drillship for a two-well flowback operation at Beacon Offshore Energy’s Shenandoah project.

The company wet-hopped the Trident 20K system between wells, which is said to have significantly curbed operational costs, saving the operator several days of critical path rig time. Afterward, the system was returned to the Texas-based player for post-campaign maintenance so that it would be ready to deploy for future operations.

Commenting on this, Mike Cargol, SVP-Oilfield Service, highlighted: “Proud to announce a historic milestone for Trendsetter Engineering and the offshore oil and gas industry: the first-ever deployment of a 20,000 psi open water intervention riser system (OWIRS), our TRIDENT-3 (20K), in support of Beacon Offshore Energy‘s ‘Shenandoah’ deepwater field development project.

“Deployed from the Transocean ‘Deepwater Atlas’, the TRIDENT-3 system was utilized to successfully flowback two wells, marking a key moment in high-pressure deepwater well intervention. This achievement highlights our commitment to pushing technical boundaries and delivering innovative solutions for the most demanding offshore environments.”

Trendsetter perceives the launch of its first 20K open water intervention riser system as “a significant milestone” for the industry, coming on the heels of its delivery of the 20K production manifold and associated surf components.

This solution is the latest addition to the firm’s fleet of rental intervention kits. The introduction of the Trident 15K intervention system in 2020 was the first step towards a larger goal of developing and deploying the industry’s first 20K OWIRS.

A floating production system (FPS) for the Shenandoah project arrived in February 2025 after departing in December 2024 from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard, hired to handle the design, procurement, construction, and delivery of the FPS and its installation.

The start-up of production at this project is anticipated in the second quarter of 2025. The Shenandoah field is situated in the Walker Ridge blocks, approximately 230 miles (370.15 kilometers) from New Orleans, with water depths up to 5,500 feet (about 1,676 meters).

Last year, Trendsetter Engineering wrapped up its assignment in the Gulf of America for the LLOG Exploration-operated Salamanca deepwater oil project, which is slated to achieve its first oil in mid-2025.