SBM Offshore was contracted by Shell to supply an FPSO for the Stones development project in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract, valued at about US $1 billion, includes an initial period of 10 years with future extension options up to 20 years. The Stones development is located in 2,896m (9500ft) of water about 320km offshore Louisiana. Once installed, the Stones FPSO will become the deepest FPSO development in the world.
The converted Suezmax FPSO will have a turret with a disconnectable buoy (Buoyant Turret Mooring or BTM) allowing it to weathervane in normal conditions and disconnect from the FPSO upon the approach of a hurricane. The BTM will be configured with Steel Lazy-Wave Risers (SLWR) which will be a first application for a disconnectable FPSO. The mooring system will also incorporate the ability to adjust line tension during operations by use of an In-Line Mooring Connector (ILMC). SBM Offshore’s 30 years of turret experience including the delivery of nearly 50 systems will be leveraged to supply this pioneering BTM system.
The FPSO is a typical generation-two design with a processing facility capacity of 60,000 bo/d day and 15 mmscfd of gas treatment and export. No water injection facilities are specified. The Suezmax hull will be able to store 800,000 barrels of crude oil and total topsides weight will reach 7000 tons.
In March 2012, Shell and SBM Offshore signed an Enterprise Framework Agreement (EFA) for the supply of medium and small FPSOs on a lease and operate basis. The Stones FPSO is the first Shell project to award contracts utilizing the EFA. SBM Offshore and Shell have been engaged in front-end development work for the Stones FPSO solution for the past two years. Execution work has already commenced in SBM Offshore’s Houston Execution Center with early procurement and commitments underway.