Drilling in Brazil in 2887m Water Depth using a Surface BOP system and a DP Vessel

Abstract

Abstract The deepwater well 1-SHEL-14-RJS (block BM-C-10 in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil) was successfully drilled by Shell Brazil in May/June 2003. The well was drilled to beyond 5200m total depth in 2887m water by the Stena Tay, a dynamically positioned (DP) semi-submersible, using a Surface BOP system. Subsequent to this well in Brasil, a further drilling campaign with the same SBOP system on the Stena Tay, has commenced in Egypt in late November 2003. At the time of writing the first well has been drilled to TD. The SBOP system included a Surface mounted BOP (SBOP), a high pressure casing riser, a Seabed Disconnect System (SDS), and control systems for these components. In order to utilize this equipment on the Stena Tay, a number of relatively minor rig modifications were completed prior to the start of operations. Throughout the project planning phases, an intense and comprehensive risk management process was followed. The results of this work concluded that SBOP operations are as safe, if not safer than conventional operations in terms of Health, Safety and Environment. The operation was successfully completed without any significant HSE incidents. During the operations with the SBOP system a large number of learning's and ideas for improvements to the system were gathered. These improvements will be prioritized and implemented for future SBOP drilling campaigns. Overall, the SBOP operation on BM-C-10 was extremely successful, particularly when considering that this was the first application of a new technology in an extreme environment, conducted from a dynamically positioned vessel in record breaking water depths for Brazil. This heralds a new era for such operations and provides a strong basis for planning for future operations with SBOP in many areas of the world. It also gives Shell the capability of drilling beyond the 10,000ft water depth barrier making use of the existing worldwide rig fleet.