Marginal field achieves major success in Thailand

The Bualuang oil field was discovered by London-based E&P company Soco International in 1992 in 197 ft of water in Block B8/38 in the Gulf of Thailand. A conceptual study conducted in third quarter of 2006 settled on a field design consisting of five subsea producing wells; one water injector; an unmanned wellhead platform (WHP); and a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The decision to use a WHP arose partly from the familiarity of this type of design in the region, which would usually allow for a relatively short design and development window. The project represented the first installation for the company's new heavy-lift, accommodation, and pipelay vessel, the Lewek Champion. The company was awarded the contract for the project management, engineering, and offshore installation of the jacket, topsides, pipelines, and FPSO mooring.