Shell Offshore, a subsidiary of Shell, has commenced production at the Whale floating production unit (FPU) in the US Gulf of Mexico, more than three years after taking the final investment decision (FID).
The Shell subsidiary has an operating stake of 60% in this deep-water development. Its partner is Chevron’s subsidiary Chevron U.S.A., which holds the remaining 40% stake.
The Whale field is projected to reach a peak production capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), with estimated recoverable resource volumes of 480 million boe.
Shell integrated gas and upstream director Zoë Yujnovich said: “Whale demonstrates our focus on driving more value with less emissions from our Upstream business as we deliver the energy people need today.
“It will make a significant contribution to our commitment to bring projects online, with a total peak production of more than 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from 2023 through 2025.”
According to Shell, the Whale facility replicates the simplified design of the Vito platform, which began production in early 2023. It incorporates 99% of Vito’s hull design and 80% of its topsides, resulting in cost-efficient construction and enhanced operational efficiency.
The Vito platform is a four-column semi-submersible host facility located in the greater Mars Corridor. The design reuse allowed Shell to streamline engineering and construction processes for the Whale project, accelerating the timeline to first oil, which has been achieved 7.5 years after the field’s discovery.
Whale is equipped with energy-efficient gas turbines and compression systems, achieving approximately 30% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity over its lifecycle compared to Vito.
Situated in the Alaminos Canyon Block 773, the Whale facility is located about 320km southwest of Houston and 16km from the Perdido platform. The semi-submersible production host operates in waters exceeding 8,600ft in depth and is tied to 15 wells via subsea infrastructure.
Shell took the FID in July 2021, following a one-year delay due to the company’s cash preservation strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2019, Sembcorp Marine Rigs & Floaters was contracted to construct and integrate the topside and hull of the Whale FPU.
