Shell sets world records for deepwater well completions

Ray Tyson

Petroleum News Houston correspondent

Shell Exploration & Production Co. has launched natural gas production from its Gulf of Mexico deepwater Coulomb development, which the company said consists of the two deepest well completions in the world in terms of water depth.

The world record-breaking wells are on Mississippi Canyon blocks 657 and 613 and tied back via a 27-mile flowline to the BP-Shell Na Kika floating development system on Mississippi Canyon block 474, Shell said June 29.

Shell said that in early May the C-2 well became the world’s deepest water depth completion in 7,565 feet of water and was followed two weeks later with a new record at its C-3 well, completed at a water depth of 7,570 feet of water.

The C-2 is currently producing about 65 million cubic feet of gas per day and continues to ramp up, Shell said, adding that both wells combined are capable of producing around 100 million cubic feet of gas per day.

Shell holds a 100 percent interest in the C-2 well and Petrobras America is a one-third partner in the C-3 well.