Su Tu Den

Su Tu Den Oil and Gas Field Profile

Location and Geography

• The Su Tu Den Oil and Gas Field, also known as the Black Lion field, is located in Block 15-1 of the Cuu Long Basin, offshore Vietnam. It is approximately 80 nautical miles east of Vung Tau and adjacent to the Ruby field.

Coordinates

• The exact coordinates of the field are 10.3926° N, 108.4476° E.

Operator and Ownership

• The field is operated by the Cuu Long Joint Operating Company (CLJOC), a joint venture comprising PetroVietnam, Perenco, and other partners. The ownership structure includes PetroVietnam and Perenco as the primary stakeholders.

Discovery and Production History

• The field was discovered in October 2000, with the first exploration well (15-1-SD-1X) spudded on August 6, 2000. The field was declared commercial on August 8, 2001. First oil production began on October 29, 2003, ahead of the planned schedule.

Infrastructure and Facilities

• The field utilizes the FPSO (Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading) vessel Cuu Long MV9, which is a double-sided SuezMax class tanker equipped with an external turret. The FPSO has a storage capacity of 1,000,000 barrels and handles 65,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd), 35 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of lift gas, and 82,500 bpd of water injection.
• The field also includes a central processing platform, seven unmanned wellhead platforms (WHP), three subsea pipeline end manifolds (PLEM), three subsea electrical power cables, and associated control systems. Infield pipelines and gas export pipelines are also part of the infrastructure.

Production and Reserves

• The field produces both oil and gas. As of 2016, the estimated oil reserves were approximately 664.97 million barrels. The remaining recoverable gas reserves were estimated at 3681.16 million cubic meters as of 2021.
• Production reached facility capacity 22 days after the first oil and consistently equaled or exceeded facility capacity 42 days after the first oil, achieving the goal of ramping up production within the first 90 days of operation.

Development and Contracting Strategy

• The development of the Su Tu Den field involved a fast-track field development program, which was sanctioned in early March 2002. The project was executed with a risk-based approach due to the complexity of the basement reservoir and reserves uncertainty. Multiple contracts with several global contractors were utilized to achieve the project goals efficiently.
• Key contractors involved included J. Ray McDermott for engineering, procurement, and installation of the Su Tu Den North East project.

Safety and Efficiency

• The project was executed with an excellent safety record, achieving first oil production without any lost-time accidents in over 3.6 million man-hours of exposure. The direct operating efficiency has consistently exceeded the target of 92% since April 2004.

Export and Offtake

• Crude oil is stored and offloaded from the FPSO Cuu Long MV9. The oil is exported through offtake tankers that load via tandem moorings and a floating pipeline connected to the FPSO. Associated gas is mainly processed on the central processing platform and then exported ashore through a 16-inch subsea pipeline.