The Gumusut-Kakap deepwater field spread across the Malaysia-Brunei maritime border has been producing oil since 2012.
Sabah Shell Petroleum Company, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, is the operator of the Gumusut-Kakap field holding a 29.05% interest, while the other development partners are ConocoPhillips (29.05%), Petronas (16.8%), Brunei Contractors (16%), PTTEP (6.37%), and Pertamina (2.7%).
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PTT Exploration and Production Public Company (PTTEP) picked up a 6.37% stake in the Gumusut-Kakap field by acquiring Murphy Oil Corporation’s business in Malaysia in January 2019.
The Gumusut-Kakap field first produced oil from an early production system in November 2012, while a semisubmersible floating production system started operations in October 2014.
The project partners reached a final investment decision (FID) on phase three development of the offshore field in August 2020.
A Unitisation Agreement (UA) for the Gumusut-Kakap field was formalised by the governments of Malaysia and Brunei in April 2021.
Location
The Gumusut-Kakap field straddles the maritime boundary of Malaysia and Brunei. The semi-submersible production platform is located in 1,200m-deep waters, approximately 120km off the coast of Sabah, Malaysia.
The Gumusut field, located in Block J, was merged with the Kakap field, situated in Block K, in 2006.
Field development details
The Gumusut-Kakap field consists of multiple production and injection wells tied back to a semi-submersible floating production facility of 165,000bpd rated capacity. The topsides and hull of the facility weigh approximately 20,000t and 19,000t respectively.
The development drilling at the Gumusut-Kakap field was started in 2008. During the early production phase, which commenced in November 2012, the wells were tied back to the Murphy Sabah Oil-operated Kikeh production facility. The semi-submersible floating production facility at the field began operations in October 2014.
A 200km-long, 18in-diameter pipeline transports the crude oil from the production facility to the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal in Kimanis, Sabah, Malaysia.
The Gumusut-Kakap phase two development involved the drilling of four additional wells, the first oil from which was produced in September 2019.
In phase three, two oil production wells and two water injection wells are planned to be drilled. The drilling is slated to begin in December 2021, with the first oil expected in 2022. The phase three development project is expected to increase the recoverable oil volumes at the Gumusut-Kakap field.
Recently awarded contracts
Maersk Drilling was contracted by Shell Malaysia to drill four development wells at the Gumusut-Kakap field in April 2021. Maersk Viking drillship will be deployed to execute this contract which is slated to start in December 2021.
The contract, valued at approximately £24.5mn ($34mn), also includes five additional one-well options for work offshore Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei Darussalam.
BMT was awarded a three-year offshore Master Service contract to offer maintenance services for the Gumusut-Kakap and the Malikai deepwater platforms in Malaysia in May 2019.
BMT’s Marine Instrumentation Systems (MIS) and Marine Advisory Systems (MAS) were installed on the deepwater platforms.
TechnipFMC bagged an engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for the Gumusut-Kakap phase two development in March 2018. The scope of the contract included the delivery and installation of umbilicals, flowlines, and the subsea production system.
MISC signed a pact with Shell Sabah Petroleum Company for the construction and a 25-year lease of the Gumusut-Kakap semi-submersible floating production system that commenced operations in 2013.
Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering, a subsidiary of MISC, completed the construction of the semi-submersible floating production platform in MMHE West yard in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia, in 2013.
