Aje FPSO en route to Nigeria. First oil expected in March

Front Puffin FPSO
Front Puffin FPSO; Image: Rubicon Offshore

Panoro Energy, an independent exploration and production company, has informed that the floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) for the Aje field, is on its way to its location offshore Nigeria. 

To remind, the Aje Field Development Plan was approved in March 2014 and the Final Investment Decision for the project was made in October 2014. The development includes two subsea production wells tied back to a leased FPSO vessel. The FPSO contract was awarded to Rubicon Offshore’s 1990-built Front Puffin FPSO. Shortly after that, the modifications to bring the vessel into specification for production on the Aje field started.

According to Panoro, the partner in the project, the final works on the FPSO have been completed, and the FPSO has now left Singapore. The vessel is expected to arrive in Nigeria mid-March 2016, following a brief stop in Cape Town.

Panoro added that all key equipment related to the field development has been delivered to Nigeria. Anchor handling operations in the field started in January and will continue until mid-February. The construction vessel has started operations and will install the subsea equipment including the manifold and flowlines during February, Panoro said.

Once the FPSO arrives in Nigeria, it will be hooked-up to the mooring system and risers and a short test of the production systems will be conducted, the company further informed.

Panoro’s Chief Executive Officer, John Hamilton, said: “We are excited to be approaching first oil at Aje, offshore Nigeria. Significant operational and contractual progress has been made on the final phase of field development. With the drilling phase now concluded, the installation work and the arrival of the FPSO are the main remaining work streams.”

According to Hamilton, the field is now expected to be producing by the end of March 2016. This means the production start has seen a delay as it was previously scheduled for the end of the fourth quarter of 2015.

Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum is the operator of the field, and its partners are New Age, FHN, EER and Panoro.

Offshore Energy Today Staff