HOUMA, La. – Hess Corp.’s Stampede tension leg platform moved one step closer to production Wednesday following completion of the Feb. 5-8 initial pre-production inspection of the topsides by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) at the Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas. Before operations can begin on any oil and gas production platform in the Gulf of Mexico, BSEE’s engineers and inspectors conduct a pre-production inspection of the topsides, which is the portion of the platform where numerous production processes take place and workers reside.
“BSEE conducts these inspections because our role is to ensure that energy produced on the Outer Continental Shelf is done safely, responsibly and with the fewest impacts to the environment,” explained Amy Wilson, acting district manager of BSEE’s Houma District. “Our engineers and inspectors spend three to four days verifying that all safety equipment, design specifications and submitted drawings comply with federal regulations.”
Hess Corp.’s new tension leg platform will operate in 3,500 feet of water approximately 115 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana with production anticipated to start in 2018. Wilson said that companies typically have items that need to be corrected after the initial inspection, similar to any construction punch list, before they can begin production. The inspection process begins at the shipyard, but further inspections occur once the topsides are attached to the production facility structure and the facility is on location in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Stampede project platform and its expected six subsea wells will be operated by Hess in equal partnership with Union Oil Co. of California (Chevron), Statoil, and Nexen Petroleum Offshore USA, Inc. Once the final inspections are completed and the topsides are commissioned on location, Hess will commence production which could be up to 80,000 barrels of oil per day.