Vito (MC940) - Shell

Vito (MC940) - Shell Oil Project Profile

Location

The Vito oilfield is located approximately 241.4 kilometers south-east of New Orleans in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico, USA. Specifically, it spans across blocks 940, 941, 984, and 985 in the Federal offshore region.

Operator and Ownership

The project is operated by Shell Offshore, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, which holds a majority working interest of 63.11%. The remaining 36.89% interest is held by Equinor (previously Statoil USA E&P).

Discovery and Exploration

The Vito oilfield was discovered by Anadarko in July 2009 in the subsalt Miocene sands. The discovery well was drilled to a depth of 32,000 feet by the Noble Amos Runner deepwater drilling rig and encountered 250 feet of net oil pay. Shell assumed operatorship in September 2009 and conducted additional delineation wells, including a sidetrack well in March 2010 that encountered 600 feet of net oil pay. A four-year exploration and delineation program was completed in March 2013, involving the drilling of six wells.

Reserves and Production

The Vito field is estimated to hold recoverable resources of roughly 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). The project is expected to produce approximately 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) during peak production. The field also has significant gas reserves, with remaining gas reserves estimated at 5,674.64 million cubic meters as of 2019.

Development Details

The original Vito project was significantly redesigned in 2015 to reduce costs by more than 70%. The new design features a simplified four-column semi-submersible floating production unit (FPU) weighing 39,000 tons, with a single topside module. This FPU has a production capacity of 100,000 boed of oil and 100 million standard cubic feet per day (Mscfd) of gas. The subsea system includes eight subsea wells equipped with in-well gas lifts, drilled to depths of 18,000 feet.

Environmental and Cost Efficiency

The redesigned project not only reduced costs but also significantly lowered CO2 emissions by approximately 80% over the lifetime of the facility. The simplified hull and mooring design reduce operating expenses, maintenance requirements, and safety exposures.

Contractors and Suppliers

Several contractors were involved in the project:

• Jacobs Engineering Group for detailed engineering and front-end engineering design (FEED) studies.
• Sembcorp Marine Rigs & Floaters for the construction of the hull and topsides, as well as the integration of the Vito FPU.
• Sheffield Forgemasters International’s offshore oil and gas subsidiary Vulcan SFM for engineered cast components.
• Jumbo Offshore for the installation of the mooring system and the tow and hook-up of the FPU.
• CORTEC for valve packages.

Production Start and Operations

First production from the Vito field began in 2023, marking Shell's 13th deep-water development in the Gulf of Mexico. The project transitioned to the Operations team after achieving first oil, with the Operations and GoM Natural teams playing a crucial role in preparing for the start-up.

Incident Response

In May 2022, a minor oil leak was reported from the subsea well VA007 in block MC 940. Shell deployed a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) to investigate and eventually stopped the leak by closing the needle valves on the subsea tree. The incident was managed by an Incident Management Team, and helicopter overflights were conducted to monitor the sheen until it dissipated.

Future and Significance

Vito is seen as a blueprint for future deep-water projects, emphasizing innovation, simplification, and cost efficiency. The project reflects Shell's commitment to generating greater value from the Gulf of Mexico while working towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050.