BP picks US duo for topside and hull designs of its new Gulf of Mexico-bound floating production unit

UK-based energy heavyweight BP has hired two Houston-based players, Audubon Engineering Company (Audubon) and Exmar Offshore, to handle the engineering and design of topside and hull, respectively, for a floating production unit (FPU), which will be deployed at its sixth-operated deepwater project in a prolific high-margin basin within the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Thanks to its contract with BP, Exmar Offshore will design and engineer the FPU hull for the recently sanctioned Kaskida development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, representing the fifth time the Houston-based firm’s patented OPTI hull design will be used.

Commenting on the hull design award, Carl-Antoine Saverys, Exmar’s CEO, underlined: “Exmar is pleased to have been selected by BP for their Kaskida development and looks forward to an exciting new project in the Gulf of Mexico.”

On the other hand, Audubon, which was also chosen for the FPU engineering work on the Kaskida project, will be in charge of the design for the new hub’s deepwater topside, allowing faster cycle time.

Terry Mienie, Audubon’s Executive Vice President of Offshore, noted: “Our engineering team holds decades of talent and experience designing and delivering exceptional offshore platforms. We are excited to collaborate with BP, utilizing our topside expertise to develop Kaskida optimally and safely.”

The firm plans to harness its knowledge and experience from other projects, such as Delta House, King’s Quay, and Shenandoah semi-submersibles, to design Kaskida’s topside, prioritizing what it describes as smart design and tight execution.

David Robison, Audubon’s CEO, highlighted: “This project represents an opportunity for Audubon to showcase our engineering proficiency and agility for one of the most significant oil and gas plays in US history. Our team is committed to delivering quality for every client and every project, and we especially look forward to supporting BP with its production objectives for the Gulf of Mexico.”

The engineering work for the Kaskida FPU is already underway, with Audubon embarking on designing the topside and Exmar Offshore handling the hull. Singapore’s Seatrium was tapped to undertake early engineering works for the newbuild FPU.

With the capacity to produce 80,000 barrels of crude oil per day from six wells in the first phase, production from the FPU is slated to start in 2029. The Kaskida project’s discovered recoverable resources are estimated at around 275 million barrels of oil equivalent from the initial phase.

However, the 100% BP-owned deepwater project in the Keathley Canyon area about 250 miles southwest off the coast of New Orleans is said to unleash the potential future development of 10 billion barrels of discovered resources in place across the Kaskida and Tiber catchment areas.

Kaskida will be BP’s first development in the Gulf of Mexico to produce from reservoirs requiring well equipment with a pressure rating of up to 20,000 pounds per square inch (20K). The advancements in 20K technology also recently enabled Chevron and TotalEnergies to bring online an oil and gas project in the Gulf of Mexico.

This project is perceived to be the industry’s first high-pressure deepwater development and one of the largest projects in the U.S. energy industry’s history, employing high-pressure 20,000 psi technology with reservoir depths reaching 34,000 feet below sea level.