Marlin (VK915) - Anadarko

Marlin (VK915) - Anadarko Oil and Gas Asset Profile

Location

The Marlin (VK915) oil and gas asset is located in the Federal offshore waters of the United States, specifically in the Viosca Knoll protraction area of the Central Gulf of Mexico. The exact coordinates are 29.1095, -87.946 (WGS 84).

Project Details

• Status: The Marlin (VK915) asset is currently operating.
• Operator: The asset is operated by Anadarko, although it is worth noting that Anadarko has since merged with Occidental Petroleum.
• Discovery Year: The field was discovered in 1993.
• Water Depth: The Marlin field is situated in water approximately 3,245 feet deep.

Production and Reserves

• Fuel Composition: The field produces primarily gas with a small oil rim.
• Reserves:
  • Remaining gas reserves: 461.56 million m³ as of 2019.
  • Remaining oil reserves: 11.6 million barrels as of 2019.
• Cumulative Production:
  • Cumulative oil production: 71.3 million barrels as of 2019.
  • Cumulative gas production: 9,285.01 million m³ as of 2019.
• Annual Production:
  • Oil production: 0.63 million barrels per year in 2020, increasing to 1.55 million barrels per year in 2022.
  • Gas production: 18.14 million m³ per year in 2020, increasing to 38.64 million m³ per year in 2022.

Infrastructure

• Platform: The Marlin field is developed as a subsea tieback to the Marlin tension-leg platform (TLP) in Viosca Knoll Block 915.
• Flowline System: The field utilizes a novel pipe-in-pipe flowline system, which includes components such as insulation materials, pipeline centralizers, buckle arrestors, and reelable water-stops. This system was designed to meet the challenging thermal and mechanical requirements of the deepwater environment.

Technical Innovations

• Insulation Materials: The project involved the use of advanced insulation materials such as polyurethane foam (PUF), mineral wool, and microporous insulation to achieve the required thermal performance in deepwater conditions.
• Installation Method: The flowline was installed using a reel-lay vessel, and the method of fabrication involved inserting flowline stalks into carrier pipes to optimize spoolbase efficiency and avoid field joints.

Regulatory and Financial

• Operator Financial Responsibility: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has demonstrated the necessary financial responsibility for oil spill response and cleanup, as required by regulatory bodies.