The deepwater at and beyond the margins of the UKCS West of Shetland Islands, presents a most demanding set of technical challenges to oilfield development. The paper gives an appreciation of the dominant environmental characteristics, including thecomplex high currents which affect all activities in the area. The Foinaven and Schiehallion reservoirs are relatively shallow and thin, with large area extent, necessitating multiple drilling centres. The crudes have relatively low API gravity and low GOR, and the low reservoir temperature presents particular challenges for wax management at the low seabed temperatures. The large wave response motions of floating production and construction/support vessels, combined with the high and variable currents, create diffilcult conditions for design, tie-in and operation of flowlines, flexible risers and umbilicals. This paper reviews these challenges and the solutions for the selected options of FPSOS and subsea systems for the Foinaven Development. Introduction With discovery of potentially commercial hydrocarbons in the Foinaven field during 1992, the race was on to define, design, and execute a development plan which would achieve the full commercial potential of the deepwater find. There were no precedents on the UK Continental SheIf for this kind of new-frontier deepwater development, so BP and Shell needed to draw upon their own international experience, and that of the contracting sector of the industry, to identify the concepts, technologies and execution approaches which could best deliver the necessary business results for all participants. In order to set an operational experience and reservoir knowledge baseline from which to achieve this ambitious programme, it was imperative to proceed with the Foinaven development as rapidly as safely possible. This led to adoption of the ‘parallel engineering’ approach, whereby definition of the various elements of the project evolve in parallel with maximum possible cross-discipline communication and co-operative teamwork from start to finish, rather than the more conventional sequential approach. The uncertainties inherent in this fast-track parallel engineering approach demanded incorporation of maximum justifiable flexibility in the evolving engineering solutions, these options having to be maintained for as long as possible. Whilst the reserves were judged early on to be significantly higher than the current average for North Sea projects, it was clear that development costs would have to be very carefully controlled. An overall Finding and Development cost in the range US$4 - 5 per barrel was established as the target to be achieved for development to proceed, together with a Lifting cost target of US$2 per barrel. This required an innovative attitude to be adopted by all concerned, and led not only to establishment ofclose-knit Alliances with inherent regular internal challenging of all costs, but also to a drive to access selected lower cost safe technologies, even where these may not actually be fully field proven at the time of commitment.

This paper outlines the overall project for development and installation of a low profile caisson-. installed subsea Xmas tree.Following various design studies and laboratory and field testing of key components, a system for installation inside a 30 inch conductor was ordered in July 1978 from Cameron rron Works Inc. The system is designed to have all critical pressure containing components sub mudline and with the reduced profile (height) above seabed, provides for improved safety of satellite underwater wells from damage By anchors, trawl boards and even icebergs.In addition to the innovative nature of the tree design the completion includes improved 3.1/2 inch through flowline (TFL) pump down completion equipment with deep set safety valves and a dual detachable packer head for simplified workover capability. The all hydraulic control system incorporates a new design of sequencing valve for Both Xmas tree control and remote flowline connection.A semi-submersible drilling rig was used to initiate the first end flowline connection at the wellhead for suBsequent tie-in to the prelaid, surface towed, all welded subsea pipeline bundle.The Acceptance stack-up tests in the U.S.A and the subsequent Landtesting in Brunei are also described in the paper.

Technology Focus Our industry continues to make great progress in creating and qualifying new technical solutions to meet the need for cost-effective offshore oil-/gas-production facilities in evermore-challenging environments. In last year’s Offshore Facilities Focus, we reviewed some of the more-prominent recent examples, and in this edition we cover some further updates on progress. There is, however, a particular theme running through these latest examples, which are perhaps worthy of some special attention. The E&P industry is renowned for its ability to generate impressive technical solutions for just about any well-defined offshore challenge it may face. In my experience, it has been less able to demonstrate a similar global consistency across cultures in the manner in which the supplier and the client go about achieving the potential of the technology in practice. In one recent firsthand exposure, there even appeared to be a deliberate mind-set of challenge and contractual standoff from the outset between the two parties. The intended aim was to bring about rapid execution at lowest possible cost. It is questionable whether this approach ever can be sustainable beyond the particular project in question, and whether either party’s best interests can thereby be served in practice. What shines through in the examples covered in the following pages is how a purposefully collaborative approach can make a positive difference to the benefits for both parties. These benefits often can be enhanced further by establishing a broader constructive and collaborative framework with a wider group of stakeholders that typically can include installation contractors and classification/certification agencies. The success of individual-project collaborations leads to a sustainable contracting environment into the future. Also, it can, in some cases, lead to global frame agreements, which can enable both parties to harvest expanded economic and schedule benefits from building on the culture of mutual respect and aligned objectives. I hope you enjoy these case studies as much as I have. Offshore Facilities additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. OTC 20762 “Demonstrating the Feasibility of Steel Catenary Risers From a Cylindrical FPSO in Harsh Deepwater Locations” by Jan V. Aarsnes, Sevan Marine ASA, et al. OTC 20506 “Deepwater-Pipeline and -Riser Installation by the Reel-Lay Method” by S.N. Smith, Subsea 7, et al. OTC 21024 “Top-Tensioned-Riser Systems for a New Floater Type” by David L. Garrett, Stress Engineering Services, et al.

This paper outlines the overall project for development and installation of a low-profile, caisson-installed subsea Christmas tree.After various design studies and laboratory and field tests of key components, a system for installation inside a 30-in. conductor was ordered in July 1978 from Cameron Iron Works Inc. The system is designed to have all critical-pressure-containing components below the mudline and, with the reduced profile (height) above seabed, provides for improved safety of satellite underwater wells from damage by anchors, trawl boards, and even icebergs.In addition to the innovative nature of the tree design, the completion includes improved 31f2-in. through flowline (TFL) pumpdown completion equipment with deep set safety valves and a dual detachable packer head for simplified workover capability: The all-hydraulic control system incorporates a new design of sequencing valve for both Christmas tree control and remote flowline connection.A semi submersible drilling rig was used to initiate the first end flowline connection at the wellhead for subsequent tie-in to the prelaid, surface-towed, all-welded subsea pipeline bundle.The acceptance stack-up tests in the U.S. and the subsequent land tests in Brunei also are described in this paper.

Technology Focus In last year’s Offshore Facilities Technology Focus (February 2012), we highlighted the increasingly important role that constructive collaboration plays in facilitating delivery of successful field-development outcomes in increasingly challenging environments. In this edition, we illustrate the vital importance of innovative technological advances in enabling some of these challenging field developments that would otherwise not be technically feasible. Operators have generally tended to shy away from the upsides available by embracing new technology for fear of incurring downsides from suboptimal performance of the technology. This has inevitably slowed down the whole cycle of investment in, and adoption of, commercially advantageous technology to the ultimate detriment of the industry as a whole. It also certainly has tarnished our industry’s attractiveness to bright young engineers of the future. An interesting shift, however, has been evident in recent years. There have been a growing number of instances whereby operators have been unable to implement potentially lucrative field developments without adopting technology that they would hitherto have deemed to be inadequately proven by others. In the overwhelming majority of such cases, where the desire to implement the field development has overridden the reluctance to adopt the necessary new technology, the outcomes have been successful. A couple of key characteristics underpin these successes. One of those is constructive collaboration, which we have already touched on. The other is ensuring that both the nature and the dimensions of the associated technology-implementation challenges are properly understood and that the efforts established to overcome the challenges are realistically resourced to achieve success. Very few operators are large enough to have the necessary specialist resources available in house for planning and executing such projects with demonstrable confidence that success will be delivered. However, those resources are still readily available to any operator for any desired duration if the appetite is there to enter into a collaborative venture for achieving the available upsides. I hope you enjoy the opportunity to read how one operator is taking advantage of multiple recent technological advancements to complement an innovative commercial approach in transforming a hitherto unviable discovery into a fully viable field development. We also take a look at some other ongoing technological advances that have the potential to change the way we will do business in years ahead. Please let me also take this opportunity to remind interested readers of the new sister SPE publication Oil and Gas Facilities, in which many more aspects of offshore facilities are explained and discussed. Your feedback on how you would like to see that publication evolve would be very much welcomed. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. OTC 23365 Autonomous Inspection Vehicle, A New Dimension in Life of Field Operations by James Jamieson, Subsea 7, et al.