ESSO Onshore/Offshore Drilling and Production Platform - EPC

Historic Project: Groundbreaking Work From Earlier in Fluor’s History

Client: ESSO

Location: Côte d'Ivoire

Business Segment: Energy Solutions

Industry: Fuels

Map showing the location of ESSO Onshore/Offshore Drilling and Production Platform - EPC

Executive Summary

As the managing contractor, Fluor provided design, engineering, procurement and construction management to ESSO Exploration and Production Côte d'Ivoire, Inc. (ESSO) to construct the first offshore oil and gas drilling and production facilities off the Ivory Coast. In addition to the platform scope of work, we were responsible for an offshore pipeline, an onshore pipeline and related onshore facilities.

Through this project, we helped Côte d'Ivoire become an oil producer for the first time in its history.

Client's Challenge

ESSO needed a proven engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor to help the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire become an oil producer. The new processing facilities would handle 10,000 barrels per day (B/D) of oil and five million cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of natural gas. Production would be pipelined to an existing refinery near Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

The offshore project was eight miles offshore at a depth of approximately 200 feet and often experienced 34-foot storm waves.

Fluor's Solution

As the managing contractor, we were responsible for the design, engineering, procurement and construction management of the offshore drilling and production platform, as well as the pipeline and onshore reseparation and storage facilities. The entire Abidjan facility handles 15,000 B/D of oil and 15 MMSCFD of gas.

The offshore drilling and production platform includes an eight-legged steel jacket structure supporting three production modules, three drilling equipment cap bridges, and drilling rig plus living quarters and helideck. Oil and gas are separated on the platform before transfer to shore through a 10-inch diameter coated offshore pipeline and 10-inch buried onshore pipeline.

Onshore, we were responsible for the facilities where the oil and gas are received. The oil is processed to reduce vapor pressure and stored for pumping to the adjacent S.I.R. refinery.

Upon completion of the onshore and offshore facilities, we began work on the second phase of the project. During this phase, we provided three additional modules for gas lift, waterflood and power generation for the Belier Field platform.

Conclusion

Our expertise in offshore and onshore oil production helped the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire achieve its goal of producing oil for the first time in the country's history.

After the facilities were completed, we completed the second phase of the project by providing additional modules for the Belier Field platform.