Cambodia’s maiden Apsara oil field, operated by KrisEnergy, comes on stream
After a two-decade quest, Cambodia achieved its long-held ambition at the end of December 2020 to begin petroleum production.
The first oil from the Apsara Field, some 160km off the coast of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand and operated by KrisEnergy, flowed on December 28th.
The development was made possible with assistance from James Fisher Offshore Terminal Services (JF OTS), who were engaged by Singapore-based KrisEnergy to undertake a turnkey operation providing T&I (Transportation & Installation) services for the installation and hook-up of subsea hoses and power cable between the field’s first mini well-head platform and production barge ‘Ingenium II’.
Subsea hoses and power cable are critical components of the field development, allowing the unmanned platform to receive power, as well as providing a connection between the wells and process facility. To do that involved connecting 896m of hose and spooled cable.
Doug Conway, Project Manager for JF OTS, explained:
“From the signing of contract to demobilisation took just 60 days and included support from three subsidiaries of James Fisher and Sons plc.”
JF OTS converted a DP2 AHTS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply) into a Hose & Cable Installation Vessel by installing an ROV, Reel Drive System (RDS), Position Survey Equipment and USBL System. The design and engineering analyses of the installation were developed in-house with support from James Fisher sister entity, Maritime Engineers, based in Perth, Australia. The full offshore project team was provided to execute the installation and hook-up of the subsea hoses and power cable. Rigging equipment was supplied from stock held at Fendercare Marine’s Singapore base, and Winches and Hydraulic Power Units (HPUs) were mobilised from Fisher Offshore’s Malaysia operation in Johor Bahru.
Doug concluded:
“The wide-ranging capabilities of the James Fisher Group enable us to ensure an integrated experience, resulting in the successful development and management of offshore projects around the world.
“Delivering this project safely without incident on such short time scales was our main priority. Complying with all the various COVID-related restrictions imposed added complexity and challenges to the execution, however we rose to the occasion and are very pleased to have been able to help our client, KrisEnergy, and the whole nation of Cambodia in achieving such a momentous milestone.”
The Apsara field lies over the Khmer Basin, an unproduced geological basin – due to its unproven nature, its development will take place in several phases. The initial Apsara Mini Phase 1A development is expected to reach a peak rate at 7,500 barrels a day once all five development wells are completed and commissioned.
