Malaysia: ExxonMobil Completes Construction of Tapis R Platform Jacket

Malaysia ExxonMobil Completes Construction of Tapis R Platform Jacket

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. (EMEPMI), a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, announced it successfully completed construction of the Tapis R platform jacket and loaded it to be transported and installed in July at the Tapis field offshore Malaysia in the South China Sea.

The Tapis R platform jacket is the substructure for the main central processing facility for Malaysia’s first large-scale enhanced oil recovery project, one of several oil and gas investments announced under Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme in 2011. Under the programme, EMEPMI and its co-venturer PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd. will invest approximately RM10 billion in new oil and gas assets to help ensure reliable and sustainable energy supplies for Malaysia.

“The Tapis enhanced oil recovery project builds on our long-term investment in Malaysia and our tradition of further enhancing the competence of local companies supporting oil and gas development in a sector that is central to the Malaysian economy,” said J. Hunter Farris, EMEPMI chairman and president.

“The project is yet another important step in our partnership with PETRONAS and PETRONAS Carigali to efficiently develop Malaysia’s oil and gas resources to meet rising energy needs,” he added.

The Tapis enhanced oil recovery project will be a historic milestone for both EMEPMI and PETRONAS Carigali as it is not only Malaysia’s first large-scale EOR project, but also one of the largest offshore enhanced oil recovery projects in Southeast Asia. Since production began from the field in 1978, approximately 400 million barrels of oil have been produced. Newly initiated enhanced recovery techniques using alternating water and gas injection at the Tapis waterflood reservoirs are expected to improve oil recovery from the field.

The Tapis R jacket, which is 70 meters tall and extends upward from the sea floor as the base of the offshore platform, was fully fabricated in Malaysia by SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad, which was awarded the fabrication contract in January 2012 by EMEPMI. Construction of the Tapis R jacket began in April 2012 and was completed in March 2013.

The project required more than 800,000 work hours to complete and involved more than 600 workers during peak construction activity.

“We are proud that the structure was built without a lost-time incident despite the significant workforce and work hours required,” said Mr. Farris.

Weighing a total of 5,500 metric tonnes, the Tapis R jacket is the heaviest jacket constructed by EMEPMI. The eight-legged jacket will support an estimated 18,000 metric-tonne integrated deck with space for production-processing equipment, utilities systems and living quarters for 145 personnel.

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Press Release, July 04, 2013