Malikai

Malikai Oilfield Project Profile

Location and Geology

• The Malikai oilfield is situated approximately 100 km (62 miles) offshore of the Malaysian state of Sabah, within Block G of the South China Sea, at water depths of up to 500 meters (1,640 feet).

Discovery and Development History

• The production sharing contract for Block G was awarded in 1995.
• The oilfield was discovered in 2004 by drilling the Malikai-1 exploration well.
• The field was appraised in 2005 and 2006.
• Front-end engineering and design (FEED) activities began in 2009.
• The final investment decision (FID) was made in February 2013.

Partners and Operator

• The project is operated by Shell, which holds a 35% interest.
• ConocoPhillips also holds a 35% interest.
• Petronas Carigali owns the remaining 30% interest.

Platform and Infrastructure

• The Malikai project features a tension leg platform (TLP), which is the first of its kind in Malaysian waters.
• The TLP has a total weight of approximately 26,000 metric tonnes, with the topside weighing 14,000 tonnes and the hull weighing 12,000 tonnes.
• The platform is designed as a 'dry-tree' TLP, where the topsides are supported on a buoyant semi-submersible structure tethered by tendons to the seabed.
• The TLP is equipped with facilities for power generation, metering, separation, liquid pumping, gas compression, chemical storage, living quarters, and water injection.

Production Capacity

• The platform has a processing capacity of 60,000 barrels of oil per day (b/d) and 1.4 million cubic meters or 50 million standard cubic feet per day of gas.

Drilling and Wells

• The development involved the drilling of 17 wells.
• Riserless tophole drilling of eight wells was carried out using the Norshore Atlantic multi-purpose drilling vessel.
• Additional drilling campaigns, including top-hole batch drilling with riserless mud recovery (RMR), were conducted to enhance recoverable oil volumes.

Subsea and Pipeline Infrastructure

• The oil and gas produced are partially processed on the TLP before being sent to the Kebabangan (KBB) shallow-water platform, located about 50 km away, for further processing.
• From KBB, the processed oil and gas are transported to the Sabah Oil & Gas Terminal (SOGT) for export via an 8-inch diameter, 50 km long gas pipeline and a 10-inch diameter, 55 km long liquid pipeline, including steel catenary risers (SCRs).

Contractors and Suppliers

• The FEED for the project was performed by AMEC.
• The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the TLP was awarded to a joint venture between Technip (now TechnipFMC) and Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad (MHB).
• Technip also supplied and installed the subsea pipelines.
• Dril-Quip Asia Pacific supplied drilling and production equipment, including subsea wellheads and risers.
• Other contractors involved include Frames, IEV Malaysia, Heerema Marine Contractors, Flowserve, and Virgo Valves.

Installation and Transportation

• The TLP was fabricated and integrated at MMHE’s yard in Johor, Malaysia.
• The platform was transported from the MMHE West fabrication yard at Pasir Gudang to the Malikai field by the Dockwise heavy-lift vessel.
• The installation and pre-installation works for the TLP tendon foundation piles, tendons, suction anchor piles, and pre-laid mooring lines were performed by IEV Malaysia and Heerema Marine Contractors.

Production Start and Milestones

• Production from the Malikai project began in December 2016.
• The project marked several milestones, including the first TLP to be fabricated and installed in Malaysia and Shell’s first such platform outside the Gulf of Mexico.

Reservoirs

• The Malikai field consists of two main reservoirs, Kinarut and Kamunsu-2.

Technological Innovations

• The project utilized several innovative technologies, including riserless tophole drilling, multiuse risers, and a riserless mud circulation system by IKM Group.
• The platform also employs a "gas lift" technique, where natural gas produced from the field is used to help oil flow from the reservoir.

The Malikai oilfield project is a significant deepwater development in Malaysia, showcasing advanced engineering and technological capabilities in the region.