Petronas flows first oil from Tembikai

Malaysia’s Petronas has achieved first oil from the Tembikai field, offshore Malaysia, under the Tembikai-Chenang Cluster small field Risk Service Contract (RSC).

The field, located offshore Peninsular Malaysia, in a water depth of approximately 70 metres, is being developed and operated by VESTIGO Petroleum Sdn Bhd – a company established in 2013 and wholly-owned by PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd.

According to Petronas, this achievement from Tembikai-Chenang Cluster marks the fourth RSC which has achieved first production after the Kapal-Banang-Meranti (KBM) Cluster, Balai Cluster and Berantai RSCs.

In announcing the project’s first oil, PETRONAS Vice President of Malaysia Petroleum Management, En. Muhammad Zamri Jusoh said, “Tembikai is the first small field RSC that has been successfully executed by a PETRONAS Carigali’s wholly-owned subsidiary. This achievement marks another significant milestone for PETRONAS in its journey to monetize and add value to small and stranded oil fields despite the challenges currently faced by the industry.”

The scope of Tembikai Oil project includes the installation of a Central Processing Platform (CPP) connected to a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel via a flexible subsea pipeline. The CPP utilizes the Seahorse light weight structure and, according to Petronas, it is the first to be installed in Southeast Asia.

Chief Executive Officer of VESTIGO, Keith Collins said, “We are pleased with this momentous achievement in the development and production of small and marginal fields where we managed to deliver the project within the budget and ahead of schedule.”

Currently Tembikai production is only from one well and two more production wells are currently being drilled. Upon completion, the three wells are expected to achieve peak production of about 2,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd).

Apart from Tembikai, PETRONAS has five other RSCs, namely Berantai, Balai Cluster, KBM Cluster, Tanjong Baram and Ophir. Berantai and KBM are currently in production whilst Ophir being the latest RSC awarded is in its early stage of development.