Hengam

Hengam Oil and Gas Field Profile

Location

The Hengam oil and gas field is situated approximately 70 kilometers off the Iranian shores in the Persian Gulf, near the Hormoz Strait. It is located about 40 kilometers south of Qeshm Island and 30 kilometers away from Hengam Island. The field straddles the sea border between Iran and Oman, with around 80% of the oil field lying within Iranian territory.

Discovery and Development

• The Hengam oil and gas field was discovered in 1972 by the French oil company ELF (now Total).
• The first well was drilled by the National Iranian Offshore Oil Company (NIOOC) in 1975. However, the development of the field was delayed due to the lack of a drilling rig.
• Appraisal drilling began in 2005 by Petroiran Development Company, a subsidiary of NIOOC. The drilling rig Fortuna was leased for this purpose.
• By 2006, the drilling of the second Hengam well was completed, and subsequent reservoir studies confirmed the in-place oil and gas reserves of 700 million barrels and two trillion cubic feet, respectively.

Joint Development

• The joint development agreement for the field was signed between Iran and Oman in May 2007. This marked a significant cooperation between the two countries in the development of a shared offshore field.

Production

• Test production from Hengam started in April 2010 with an initial output of 4,000 barrels per day (bpd). Early production began in September 2010, with a daily output of 10,000 barrels of light crude oil.
• By July 2013, the production was boosted to 30,000 bpd following the completion of the fifth well drilling. Further expansion plans aimed to increase production to 45,000 bpd by 2014.
• In addition to oil, the field is also planned to produce 80 million cubic feet (mcf) of gas per day, with potential to extend this to 160 mcf per day in the future.

Infrastructure

• The field is operated with two platforms, and two additional jackets for wellhead platforms have been ordered for installation.
• The oil produced is sent via a pipeline to Qeshm Island for separation and refining, and then to the Bandar Abbas refinery. The pipeline is 70 kilometers long and 16 inches in diameter, with about 30 kilometers of it passing below the seabed.
• A gas processing plant is being developed at Bandar Abbas in two phases to process the gas from Hengam.

Expansion Plans

• The expansion plan includes drilling additional wells, constructing new decks, and laying new sea pipelines. A total of ten production wells are planned to be drilled in the field.
• The current phase of development focuses on boosting the field’s production capacity and enhancing the gas production capabilities.

Contractors and Partners

• TASDID was the jacket fabrication contractor for the first phase of development. Deep Ocean Technology (DOT) was responsible for pipe laying and jacket installation.
• Naft Sazeh Qeshm (NSQ) has been awarded a contract for the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) of jackets for the two new wellhead platforms. SAFF-ROSEMOND is providing engineering services to NSQ, and Jamm Design & Development Company has been subcontracted for conceptual and detail design as well as installation engineering.

Environmental and Operational Context

• The development and operation of the Hengam field are part of Iran's broader efforts to enhance its offshore oil and gas production. This includes addressing environmental management issues and complying with international standards and regulations.

In summary, the Hengam oil and gas field is a significant joint development project between Iran and Oman, marking a cooperative effort in the exploitation of shared offshore hydrocarbon resources. The field's development has been ongoing since the early 2000s, with continuous expansion and infrastructure development to increase its production capacity.