UTEC Nets Coral Sul Survey Work Offshore Mozambique

UTEC, an offshore energy survey firm, has won a survey contract in Mozambique to support the development of Eni's Coral Sul ultra-deepwater FLNG development. 

Under the contract, awarded by oilfield services giant TechnipFMC, UTEC will be responsible for pre-lay surveys; long baseline array installation and calibration; survey and positioning support; support for the installation of manifold foundation piles, manifolds, tether piles, flexible lines, umbilicals, wellhead jumpers and flying leads; pre-commissioning operations surveys; and riser hook-up and as-built surveys.

UTEC, an Acteon company, will begin its survey work in April 2021. The company did not share the financial details of the deal.

The Coral-Sul FLNG, which will be located around 50 km from the Mozambique coast, will operate in 2000 meters water depth in the Coral field, which is in the southern part of Area 4 in the Rovuma Basin, making the unit the first of a kind to operate in ultra-deep waters.

• VIDEO: Final Topside Module Installed on Eni's Coral Sul FLNG

Eni is the operator of the Coral South Project on behalf of the Area 4 partners, namely Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV, an incorporated joint venture owned by Eni, ExxonMobil and CNPC), Galp, KOGAS and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos E.P.  

The Coral field development is based on six ultra-deepwater wells feeding the Coral-Sul FLNG. The Coral field has approximately 16 trillion cubic feet of gas in place and was discovered by Eni in May 2012.

The FLNG is being built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea in cooperation with TechnipFMC and JGC Corp.

Back in November 2020, Eni informed that the last of 13 topside modules had been lifted and installed aboard the Mozambique-bound unit.

When it comes to the construction progress, Technip Energies, a newly created TechnipFMC spinoff, said via social media that the TJS consortium recently finalized the flare boom lifting for the Coral South FLNG project, with the height of the structure being 170 meters.

The Coral Sul FLNG unit is expected to sail away this year, with gas production start-up expected in 2022.