Production at Shell's Whale facility in US GoM Commences
January 9, 2025
Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Shell plc, announced that production has started at the Shell-operated Whale floating production facility in the Gulf of Mexico.
Whale replicates the simplified, cost-efficient host design of the Vito platform, which began production in early 2023. The Whale development is owned by Shell Offshore Inc. (60%, operator) and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (40%).
“Whale demonstrates our focus on driving more value with less emissions from our Upstream business as we deliver the energy people need today,” said Zoë Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director. “It will make a significant contribution to our commitment to bring projects online, with a total peak production of more than 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from 2023 through 2025.”
With an estimated peak production of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), Whale currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of 480 million boe. Whale replicates 99% of the hull design and 80% of the topsides from Vito. It also features energy-efficient gas turbines and compression systems, operating with around 30% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity over its life cycle than Vito. This deep-water development enhances Shell's Gulf of Mexico portfolio, where oil production has among the lowest GHG intensity in the world.
The Whale production facility is in the Alaminos Canyon Block 773 and is adjacent to the Shell-operated Silvertip field, around 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Shell-operated Perdido platform and around 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Houston.
Discovered in 2017, the Whale field will feature a semi-submersible production host in more than 8,600 feet (2,600 meters) of water with a total of 15 wells to be tied back to the host via subsea infrastructure.
Whale’s design closely replicates Vito, a four-column semi-submersible host facility located in the greater Mars Corridor. Leveraging the engineering and construction techniques used for Vito, as well as its supply chain, Whale was able to achieve first oil 7.5 years after discovery. This timeframe includes a one-year delay to the final investment decision following our cash preservation strategy during the COVID pandemic.
The estimated peak production and current estimated recoverable resources presented above are 100% total gross figures. The estimate of resource volumes is currently classified as 2P under the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Resource Classification System. The reference to US Gulf of Mexico production being among the lowest GHG intensity in the world is a comparison among other IOGP oil- and gas-producing members.
