Murphy Oil hires subsea firms for Dalmatian field work

U.S. oil firm Murphy Oil has ordered a multiphase boosting system for its Dalmatian offshore development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The system will be supplied by Subsea Integration Alliance, a company formed in 2015 by OneSubsea, Schlumberger, and Subsea 7.

According to Subsea Integration Alliance, the award marks industry’s first deepwater integrated subsea engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) multiphase boosting system award.

Furthermore, the subsea alliance says, the contract is for the industry’s longest deepwater subsea multiphase boosting tieback.

The scope of the contract calls for the supply and installation of a subsea multiphase boosting system for the Dalmatian Field in the Gulf of Mexico. This includes topside and subsea controls, as well as a 35-kilometer integrated power and control umbilical.

Mike Garding, president, OneSubsea, Schlumberger says that the “fit-for-purpose” subsea boosting technology will improve Murphy E&P’s ultimate recovery through a “cost-effective, record” tieback.

Subsea 7’s Chief Executive Officer, Jean Cahuzac has added that the alliance presents Murphy E&P with “many opportunities to improve their field economics, and reduces complexity, cost and risk to achieve production objectives safely, on time and within challenging cost targets.”

Offshore installation activities as part of the contract are scheduled for 2018.

The Dalmatian is a multi-field development of three small fields: Dalmatian (DC 48), Dalmatian North (DC 4) and Dalmatian South (DC 134). Dalmatian North and Dalmatian South are oil fields with associated gas, while Dalmatian is a gas field. The fields are developed as subsea tie-backs to the Chevron-operated Petronius platform.

The field is located in the DeSoto Canyon in a water depth of 6,400 ft. The Murphy-oil operated Dalmatian first came online in April 2014.