Companies score 12 discoveries, 14 startups in 2004 Gulf deepwater

Ray Tyson

Exploration and production companies last year were busy in deepwater Gulf of Mexico, scoring a dozen oil and gas discoveries and launching production from 14 fields, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service.

“Some of these new deepwater discoveries are opening up new areas for natural gas development in the eastern Gulf,” Chris Oynes, MMS regional director for the U.S. Gulf, said, adding that discoveries Atlas and San Jacinto helped bring economic viability to the Independence Hub now being planned in the eastern Gulf.

He noted that ChevronTexaco discoveries at Tiger, Silvertip and Jack in Alaminos Canyon and Walker Ridge, and Unocal’s Tobago discovery in Alaminos Canyon have “added new excitement” to the deep Paleogene play in the area.

Oynes said six of the 14 field startups in 2004 involved floating production facilities — two tension-leg platforms and four spars — that can serve as hubs for future sub-sea development projects.

He said two of the startups also broke offshore records in 2004: ConocoPhillips’ Magnolia set the world record for tension-leg platform water depth at 4,674 feet, and BP’s Holstein is the world’s largest producing spar.

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