Thunder Horse damage delays field startup

Thunder Horse, the largest oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico, will miss its original late 2005 startup because of damage to the Thunder Horse production platform, BP spokesman Ronnie Chappell confirmed July 27.

The BP-operated platform was found listing 20 to 30 degrees in the wake of Hurricane Dennis, which swept into the U.S. Gulf in early July. However, the U.S. Minerals Management Service has all but dismissed Dennis and its high winds as the cause of the listing. The platform has since been righted.

“There is no apparent damage to the hull or deck box,” Chappell said, adding that damage assessment was still ongoing. “However, some equipment was soaked when the platform listed.”

He said cause of the mishap was still under investigation and that BP would be in a better position later on in this year’s third quarter to discuss cause, costs and a revised project schedule.

The $1 billion Thunder Horse production platform, not yet connected to sub-sea wells, is on Mississippi Canyon block 778 about 150 miles southeast of New Orleans, La. The platform was scheduled to come on line by the end of the year, producing at peak rates of 250,000 barrels of oil per day and 200 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Nearly 50 contractors and sub-contractors provided assistance during recovery operations. Government regulators, including MMS and the U.S. Coast Guard, also are contributing to the effort.

The platform is anchored in 6,050 feet of water and is designed to produce from some of the deepest wells in the world. The Thunder Horse field holds an estimated 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The field and facilities are owned 75 percent by BP and 25 percent by ExxonMobil.

—Ray Tyson