Norwegian oil exploration and production firm, Aker Energy has awarded a geotechnical and geophysical survey services contract to oil and gas services provider, Fugro Ghana Ltd, for the Pecan field.
The contract is in preparation for the commencement of first oil production from the Pecan field holds between 450Mmboe and 550Mmboe.
The Pecan field is an oil and gas field located offshore Ghana in the Gulf of Guinea. The field lies in the Deepwater Tano Cape Three Points block (DWT/CT), which is jointly owned by Aker Energy (50%, operator), Lukoil (38%), Fueltrade (2%) and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (10%).
The Pecan field was earlier owned by Hess and acquired by Aker Energy’s subsidiary Aker Energy Ghana in June 2018. First oil from the field is expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.
In a press statement posted on the company’s website, Aker Energy said the contract involves surveying services from two state-of-the-art vessels for a 10-week period, starting in March, as well as laboratory testing post operations.
The geotechnical vessel, Fugro Scout, is specifically designed for geotechnical operations in water depths up to 3,000 metres for both drilling and seabed sampling and in situ testing.
The aim of the surveys is to obtain critical information about seabed and sub-seabed conditions to facilitate the planning and emplacement of the Pecan subsea field and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) ship.
Commenting on the award, Senior Vice President for Projects in Aker Energy, Olav Henriksen said: “For Aker Energy, this contract is an important next step as we prepare for the ramp up of the Pecan project.
“We are both eager and excited to get started and Fugro’s services are world class, making them a natural choice to partner with,” he added.
On his part, Jaco Stemmet, Fugro’s Director for Africa, said, “This project will build on the extensive experience that our vessels and staff have gained in Ghana and the wider West Africa region, and we look forward to using this knowledge to execute a safe and successful campaign.”
As part of the contract, an emphasis has been placed on local content and capacity building in Ghana through Fugro’s Ghana office.
The shore base for the two ships will be Takoradi in the Western Region. From Fugro, at least, one surveyor trainee and one experienced surveyor will be Ghanaian and there will be local sourcing of various materials in Ghana.
In addition, a series of educational and capacity building activities will be rolled out through partnerships with Ghanaian educational institutions and the Petroleum Commission of Ghana.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
