Shell drilled the Brutus discovery well on Block 158 in December 1988. An appraisal well followed in 1994 on the same block; in 1997, a third well was drilled. Gross recovery of Brutus reserves are estimated approximately 250 million boe with a 70:30 oil-to-gas ratio. Oil production is through an 18-in. line 26 miles to the South Timbalier 301 B platform. From there, it moves through the existing Amberjack system. Gas output moves through an 18-in., 24-mile system to the Manta Ray offshore gathering system. Shell’s Brutus project tension-leg platform (TLP) is located in Green Canyon Block 158 in a water depth of 2,985 ft (910 m). This eight-slot TLP is designed to act as a hub for further development, and Brutus marks the first project completed by Shell’s deepwater services group, established in 1999 to exploit the company’s global expertise in deep operations. Brutus came onstream at an average of 25,000 b/d of oil and 35 MMcf/d of gas from the first well. At peak, the field is expected to produce 100,000 b/d of oil and 150 MMcf/d of gas. The Brutus TLP modules wwere fabricated by J Ray McDermott at their Morgan City fabrication yard. The five modules weigh in at 11,500 tons. J Ray McDermott’s fabrication and installation was completed in March 2001. The 14,500 ton TLP hull was constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding. The hull was transported to the United States by Dockwise using the Mighty Servant 3. The complete TLP was installed on location June 20, 2001. Menck installed 12 piles for the TLP. Each pile is 82 inches in diameter, 326 feet in length, and is driven to 305 feet penetration.
Brutus, Gulf of Mexico, Shell, America(North),