Vito Project: A Case Study Between a Development Operator and Pipeline Operators Advancing Deep Water Together

Abstract

In 2009, the Vito field was discovered in more than 4,000 ft of water approximately 150 miles offshore from New Orleans, Louisiana. The project produces from reservoirs nearly 30,000 feet below sea level. This paper will discuss how a Deep Water development operator ("Development Operator") worked with two pipeline operators ("Pipeline Operators") to enable the Vito project and advance Deep Water together through care and simplicity. While the three companies had independent scopes of work, there were many opportunities for synergies during the project execution to deliver a cost competitive and integrated export solution. A "fit for purpose" approach was applied to achieve a common goal. The Vito project went through an optimization process called Minimum Technical Scope (MTS) to enable expected enhanced safety performance, better environmental performance, and lower unit development costs. The topics discussed in this paper can be applied to future deep-water developments around the globe where the development operator does not have a direct ownership interest in the export pipelines. In addition, certain concepts could be applied on projects where the development operator is responsible for the entire deep-water development. This paper discusses the scoping decisions taken across the integrated export system and how trade-offs were assessed to arrive at the MTS solution. The benefits that a common strategy can deliver for materials and installation, common construction equipment mobilizations and demobilizations, and the safety and environmental benefits from the coordination are addressed. Lastly, the paper discusses the working relationship between the Operators. Cost competitiveness can be a challenge for every deep water project. Many of the items discussed in this paper hopefully provoke future development operators to apply some of the concepts so that deep-water can advance with care and simplicity. This paper is part of a Vito Project series at OTC 2023, and the other papers are listed in the references.