BHP, in partnership with Pemex, has selected McDermott International to provide front-end engineering design (FEED) of a semisubmersible floating production unit (FPU) for the Trion project in the Gulf of Mexico. The FPU will be designed for a water depth of approximately 8,200 ft and is destined for the Trion field, 19 miles south of the US/Mexico maritime border and about 112 miles off the Mexican coastline.
The design contract was awarded following a 14-month design competition, which was preceded by a competitive tender process. Building upon the pre-FEED work previously completed by McDermott, the FEED study work will focus on the development of an FPU design with a nameplate capacity of 100,000 B/D of oil.
The scope of the FEED contract includes engineering tasks related to the configuration, sizing, and analysis of the FPU, including topsides, hull, risers, and mooring. McDermott will lead a single, integrated team to perform project management and execution planning.
"With integrated project management, engineering, procurement services, and self-fabrication in our yards in Altamira, Mexico, and Batam, Indonesia, McDermott's globally integrated EPC project delivery capabilities will allow us to reduce risk and enhance certainty of delivery on the BHP Trion project," said Samik Mukherjee, group senior vice president for projects at McDermott.
Discovered by Pemex in August 2012, the Trion field is estimated to hold potential recoverable resource of 475 million BOE. BHP acquired a 60% interest in Trion during Mexico’s first-ever deepwater bid round in 2016. Appraisal wells in 2018 and 2019 confirmed the discovery.
A final investment decision for the Trion development expected in 2022. First oil is estimated to flow in 2025.
