LNG

Woodside Energy, the leading Western Australian liquefied natural gas plant operator with North West Shelf and Pluto LNG, has boosted the economic prospects of the West African nation of Senegal by achieving first oil from the Sangomar field, Senegal’s first offshore oil project. 

Woodside Energy, the leading liquefied natural gas operator in Western Australia, said the “Léopold Sédar Senghor” floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit had safely arrived off the West African state of Senegal for a key oil project.

“This is a significant step toward achieving first production from the Sangomar oil field which is targeted for mid-2024,” said Woodside.

The FPSO’s delivery for the Sangomar oil venture follows the arrival of an FLNG production vessel in November 2023 for a separate project run by UK major BP that will also benefit Senegal as well as its neighbour Mauritania.

Oil output nearer

The Perth-based company said that the arrival of the FPSO, named after the first President of Senegal, from Singapore to its final destination, located 100 kilometres (62 miles) offshore the Sengalese capital Dakar, marked the start of the next phase of the project.

Woodside will now help oversee the commissioning of the FPSO and the hooking up to the 23 production, gas and water injection wells that make up the Sangomar Field Development Phase 1.

Woodside Chief Executive Meg O’Neill said the Sangomar project was advancing to the company’s satisfaction.

“The FPSO arrival brings us closer to first production,” said O’Neill.

“We are proud to be Senegal’s first offshore oil project operator and firmly believe that this project will prove to be important to Senegal’s future development and prosperity,” O’Neill stated.

“In addition to developing Senegal’s energy resources, we have already begun working with the Government of Senegal, local businesses and communities to develop programs that create business opportunities, build local capabilities, foster employment opportunities, and bring broad economic benefits as a result of our operations,” O’Neill explained.

The Woodside CEO also praised the role of the Société des Pétroles du Sénégal (Petrosen),  the national oil and gas company, as a contracting partner in the venture.

The Sangomar Field Development Phase 1 includes the stand-alone FPSO with subsea infrastructure and an expected production capacity of around 100,000 barrels of oil per day.

LNG developments

Senegal is also separately involved in floating LNG joint ventures being developed by BP and Kosmos Energy along with the governments of Senegal and Mauritania in the offshore Greater Tortue Ahmeyim natural gas fields.

Seatrium Group of Singapore converted and delivered an LNG floating production vessel, the “Gimi FLNG”, to be stationed at a nearshore hub located on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border, and is expected to begin production in 2024 as part of the first phase of the FLNG venture.

The “Gimi FLNG” was converted by Seatrium in a project in partnership with Norway’s Golar LNG from a 1975-built Moss LNG carrier with a storage capacity of 125,000 cubic metres.

It is designed for 20 years of operations on-site without dry docking, with a liquefaction capacity of 2.7 million tonnes per annum and is contracted to operate near shore in 30 metres of water depth.

Seatrium Group of Singapore, formerly called Sembcorp Marine Ltd and renamed as Seatrium following its merger with Keppel Offshore & Marine, has successfully delivered the converted floating LNG production vessel for the BP-led FLNG project offshore Mauritania and Senegal.

Kosmos Energy, the Dallas-based oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa, has posted solid earnings and plans a new LNG export project from the Yakaar-Teranga gas fields offshore Senegal in addition to the ongoing FLNG ventures based on the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim resources shared between Senegal and Mauritania.

UK major BP and Kosmos Energy of the US along with the state energy companies of Mauritania and Senegal have confirmed the development expansion concept for the second phase of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas fields floating LNG project.

UK major BP more than doubled annual profits, though was hit by slowing natural gas prices during the fourth quarter and expected a flat 2023 with among the main highlights being the start-up of two LNG projects in West Africa and Indonesia.

China’s Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry said it had completed the construction of the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit that will be deployed as part of the BP-led floating LNG export project offshore the West African nations of Mauritania and Senegal.

Kosmos Energy, based in Dallas, Texas, is the partner of BP in the joint venture centred on the Greater Tortue-Ahmeyim gas fields, the first phase of which is about 80 percent complete.

The first Mauritania-Senegal FLNG production facility is scheduled to have first gas in early 2023.

The Greater Tortue-Ahmeyim LNG project has the FPSO as one of its key installations.

As part of support for the FPSO, mooring piles were pre-installed offshore while Cosco Shipping was completing the facility.

Cosco Shipping confirmed it had completed the construction of the FPSO at its Qidong shipyard and a completion ceremony had been held.

Dimensions

The Chinese company said the FPSO is 270 metres in length, 54.5 metres wide, 31.5 metres deep and the living quarters can accommodate 140 people.

Cosco was responsible for the FPSO’s main hull and living quarters, as well as the construction of topside modules.

“This FPSO is a key part of the Greater Tortue-Ahmeyim LNG project and will soon sail to Mauritania and Senegal to create a new energy hub in Africa,” added a statement.

In addition to the FPSO, a floating liquefaction plant is being completed at Singapore’s Keppel Shipyard.

This involves the conversion to a liquefaction facility of the conventional LNG carrier, the “Gimi”, which will have 2.5 million tonne per annum of output.

The FPSO will process gas from the Tortue-Ahmeyim field, removing heavier hydrocarbon components, prior to delivering it to the FLNG hull.

The Greater Tortue-Ahmeyim project is expected to have a second phase producing gas on the Mauritania-Senegal maritime border in partnership with the national oil and gas companies of Senegal and Mauritania, Petrosen and SMHPM respectively.

Oil and gas developer, Kosmos Energy has announced it generated net income of $117 mill, or $0.25 per diluted share for the second quarter of this year. 

Kosmos Energy, the US shareholder in the floating LNG projects offshore the West African nations of Mauritania and Senegal, said in its third-quarter earnings that the ventures were making good progress, while the company posted a net loss.

UK major BP has issued a “force majeure” notice to a subsidiary of Golar LNG relating to the delivery of a floating LNG production hull, the “Gimi”, for a start-up date in 2022 for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project offshore Mauritania and Senegal.