The USA's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), whose role it is to ensure the safety and environmental stewardship of offshore energy operations, has successfully completed its first annual inspection of Shell’s Whale, one of the newest and most innovative oil production facilities in the Gulf of America
The eight-day annual inspection thoroughly examined all safety equipment aboard the Whale platform, including systems designed to prevent leak, fires, spills or other potential incidents. BSEE’s team of inspectors and engineers verified that al safety components, equipment and production processes met stringent industry standards and complied with all relevant federal regulations.
“We are BSEE are extremely proud to contribute to the ongoing pledge of safe, responsible and efficient energy production in the Gulf of America,” said Gulf of America Region director Bryan Domangue. “This inspection is a critical milestone in our efforts to support energy security, enhance safety and strengthen Americas leadership in energy production.”
Whale is Shell’s 14th deep-water development in the Gulf of America,and its most efficient to date. Whale is located around 200 miles south of Houston on the Outer Continent Shelf and has an estimated peak production capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. The facility features a semi-submersible production host at a depth of more than 8,600 feet of water, with 15 wells connected to the host via advanced subsea infrastructure. Whale currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of 480 million boe.
Most of Whale's operations can be managed from the control room in New Orleans, keeping the number of people needed on the platform to a minimum. This has a positive impact on emissions reduction as well as on costs and safety.
