Singapore-based oil and gas exploration company KrisEnergy Ltd said on Wednesday that the fabrication of the minimum facilities wellhead platform (Mini-Platform) for the Apsara oil development offshore Cambodia has been completed and its components are on their way to the Kingdom’s waters.
The load-out and sail-away of the topsides and jacket (the legs of the platform) were completed on Tuesday, it said.
This marks a significant step towards the company’s ambitious target of extracting the first drop of oil before the year’s end.
KrisEnergy is currently developing the Apsara oil field in Block A of the Khmer Basin in the Gulf of Thailand.
It said the fabrication of the Mini-Platform began early in December at the facility of PT NOV Profab, a subsidiary of Houston, US-based oilfield equipment supplier National Oilwell Varco Inc (NOV), on Indonesia’s Batam Island.
Kelvin Tang, the CEO of Kris Energy and president of wholly-owned subsidiary KrisEnergy (Apsara) Company Ltd, noted that nine months had elapsed from the “first steel-cutting” to the “sail-away”.
He said: “This landmark is made all the more remarkable given the difficulties and restrictions our project team and ours NOV Profab colleagues have faced since early 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Thanks to the enormous efforts of all parties involved, including suppliers and contractors who have overcome logistical hurdles to keep deliveries of equipment and materials on track to the Batam facility from across the globe, we continue to advance towards our target of first Apsara oil before the end of the year.”
Cheap Sour, director-general of the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s General Department of Petroleum, confirmed to The Post on Wednesday that the Mini-Platform was en route to its offshore location and is expected to arrive within five days.
“We appreciate the company’s efforts to develop the project and meet its target despite the disruption brought on by the pandemic.
“According to the plan, it’ll take the Mini-Platform five days to arrive at the development project.
“Unless we encounter adverse weather conditions, installing the platform will take another 12 days,” he said, adding that the production barge would be transported at a later date.
NOV Profab managing director Kim Lamb said it was great to play an integral role in such a pioneering project for the Kingdom.
“The NOV and the KrisEnergy project teams worked closely together, adopting a fully integrated team approach to deliver a quality platform which is a true testimony of the dedication of all involved. We look forward to working with KrisEnergy again in the future,” Lamb said.
KrisEnergy noted that the Apsara oil field is “an unproduced geological basin in Cambodian maritime waters of the Gulf of Thailand”.
It said: “Due to the unproven production performance of the basin, development of the Apsara area will be in several phases to mitigate risk and provide time for the collection and analysis of critical data to be applied in future phases.
“The Mini Phase 1A development comprises the Mini-Platform and five initial development wells connected to the Ingenium II production barge for oil, gas and water processing.
“The Mini Phase 1A Apsara development is expected to reach a peak rate of 7,500 barrels of oil per day.”
