Total Tested by Drilling Oil in One of Fastest Ocean Currents
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/total_tested_by_drilling_oil_in_one_of_fastest_ocean_currents-26-mar-2019-158463-article/Total SA’s discovery of South Africa’s first oil in deep water could prove to be a bonanza for a country lacking crude reserves of its own and prompt a rush from other majors. That’s if they’re able to solve the engineering challenges of operating in one of the fastest ocean currents in the world.
The Brulpadda find, with reserves estimated at about 1 billion barrels of oil, is located in deep waters around 175 kilometers (109 miles) from South Africa’s coastline. It could be enough to supply South Africa’s refineries for almost four years and be a major boost for the country’s struggling economy.
But the prospect is surrounded by the Agulhas current, a fast-moving flow of warm water where the Atlantic and Indian oceans converge, which travels the country’s east coast and can cause waves the height of a multistory building. Total says it’s found solutions to the problems, but not every explorer has the financial resources or harsh-environment experience of the French oil major.
When Total returned for a second attempt in December, with the Deepsea Stavanger rig to finish a well, it employed previously unused engineering techniques. While rigs are usually carefully stabilized in the water by thrusters as drilling takes place, Total further secured the platform with a tug boat to provide support....
...The second time around, Total also used onshore high-frequency radar to keep ahead of the Agulhas current, Fayemi said. It also used a simplified riser system, which is a pipe that connects an offshore production structure on the water’s surface to sub-sea facilities, that could be accessed and repaired on location, specifically to avoid problems which ended the team’s effort four years earlier....
