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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BSEE Conducts Pre-production Inspection of Shell Platform Vito


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News Items | Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.


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Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement personnel traverse a stairwell to inspect safety equipment and systems aboard Shell’s Vito platform on May 11, 2022.

INGLESIDE, Texas – Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement personnel traverse a stairwell to inspect safety equipment and systems aboard Shell’s Vito platform on May 11, 2022. BSEE conducted a pre-production inspection of the Shell platform Vito at Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas May 10-12, 2022. Vito is scheduled to be installed approximately 150 miles off the coast of New Orleans with an operating depth of more than 4,000 feet. It is scheduled to begin producing oil in 2022.

INGLESIDE, Texas – On May 12, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement inspectors and engineers concluded a three-day pre-production inspection on Vito, Shell’s new 40,000-ton semi-submersible platform, which is slated to begin operation soon in the Gulf of Mexico.

The pre-production inspection team verifies that all safety equipment, components, and production processes aboard the structure have been constructed as planned, meet industry standards, and comply with federal regulations. BSEE’s on-site inspection is one of the steps required to clear the platform for sailing to its planned destination in the Gulf of Mexico, about 150 miles south of New Orleans, where it will be installed at a water depth of approximately 4,000 feet.

The inspection was conducted by a team of 10 inspectors and engineers divided into two units, each simultaneously inspecting different areas of the facility for three consecutive days.

“These regulatory inspections are critical to help ensure that the platform meets all applicable safety rules, environmental compliance requirements, and relevant regulations and practices,” said Anthony Pizza, Production Operations Section Chief of the New Orleans District Office, Gulf of Mexico Regional Office. “Any discrepancies found will be addressed by Shell before operations begin.”

According to Shell, the Vito platform is expected to begin production in late 2022 or early 2023 and produce up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day.

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Lee Carter (left), a Supervisory Inspector from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement New Orleans District, and Zach Pisciotta, a Production Engineer at the BSEE New Orleans District trace schematics during a pre-production inspection of Shell’s Vito May 10, 2022. BSEE personnel conducted a pre-production inspection of the Shell platform Vito at Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas May 10-12, 2022.

Ingleside, Texas -- Lee Carter (left), a Supervisory Inspector from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement New Orleans District, and Zach Pisciotta, a Production Engineer at the BSEE New Orleans District trace schematics during a pre-production inspection of Shell’s Vito May 10, 2022. BSEE personnel conducted a pre-production inspection of the Shell platform Vito at Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas May 10-12, 2022.
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Troy Trosclair (left), a senior operations advisor from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement New Orleans Regional Office, reviews a schematic for Shell’s Vito platform May 10, 2022.

INGLESIDE, Texas – Troy Trosclair (left), a senior operations advisor from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement New Orleans Regional Office, reviews a schematic for Shell’s Vito platform May 10, 2022. BSEE personnel conducted a pre-production inspection of the Shell platform Vito at Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas May 10-12, 2022.

 

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BSEE personnel conducted a pre-production inspection of the Shell platform Vito at Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas May 10-12, 2022.

INGLESIDE, Texas – Zach Pisciotta (left), a Production Engineer from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement New Orleans District, and Lee Carter, Supervisory Inspector of the BSEE New Orleans District, discuss their observations following a pre-production inspection of Shell’s Vito platform May 11, 2022. BSEE personnel conducted a pre-production inspection of the Shell platform Vito at Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas May 10-12, 2022.

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