Appomattox: Journey to First Oil

Shell Appomattox

Wells & First Oil Milestone Video

For External Use – Shell Appo Web Page    

Version 5

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GULF OF MEXICO

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ABOARD THE DEEPWATER PROTEUS DRILL SHIP

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JOHN HEIDE

DEEPWATER PROTEUS SHIP MASTER

We’re just southeast of the Mississippi about 100 miles offshore. The depth of water 7400 feet and we’re drilling to a good 4.5 miles down.

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DRILLERS ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TO GET OIL FROM THE MINERAL RICH NORPHLET FIELD TO THE NEARBY SHELL APPOMATTOX FLOATING PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN A PROCESS CALLED FIRST OIL.

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JEREMIAH FRIDDELL

SHELL FOREMAN

So this rig is what’s called a dual activity derrick. What we call the main rotary is doing critical path work drilling the well.

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10:15

GARRY JORDAN

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY MANAGER

You’’re working over a mile and a half beneath the sea so you can’t reach out and touch things. And then you put a reservoir that’s 25,000 feet below the sea level, everything has to be done by logs and visualizations and remote operated vehicles.

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OLAYINKA ADELEYE

WELLS OPERATIONS MANAGER

Bringing hydrocarbons to surface, to a rig, is not normal. But if you lay out your plans properly you can be successful.

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JOHN HEIDE

DEEPWATER PROTEUS SHIP MASTER

While the Appomattox platform was being constructed, we came into the field a couple years ago and we spudded the wells. We got them ready.

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39:30

OLAYINKA ADELE

WELLS OPERATIONS MANAGER

We just finished VX2 which is the third well, so we really have 3 wells in the ground now.

39:50

We kinda did things in phases. Repeating things really helped us because as we learned, we were implementing changes and we were able to save quite a significant amount of money for the company.

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JOHN HEIDE

DEEPWATER PROTEUS SHIP MASTER

We have extremely capable people working here. They’re highly trained and dedicated to everything that we’re doing, and the success of the operation. Appomattox is just about ready for us to take the oil from the wells and now working those to completion.

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NATS OF HELICOPTER LANDING

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ABOARD THE SHELL APPOMATTOX

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TIM FRANK

OPERATIONS MANAGER

I think one of the things you learn inside of Shell that when folks inside of Shell set their mind to something, they make it possible. It’s possible.

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MARNO DE JONG

APPOMATTOX PROJECT MANAGER

As you move towards the last bits and pieces, everybody starts realizing that you’re close to the end game.

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ALLISON HALLOCK

OFFSHORE ENGINEER

So much work has been done over the past several years. A lot of steps have gone into play from preparation for first oil.

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JEAN-PIERRE RICHOUX

OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR

A lot of excitement. There’s been a lot of planning, a lot of time and sacrifice and investments leading up to this point.

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KEVIN BURNS

OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR

We’re getting so close to the end. And everybody’s amped up and everybody’s, you know, ready.

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GARRY JORDAN

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY MANAGER

I was waiting patiently for word that the oil had actually reached the platform.

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MARNO DE JONG

APPOMATTOX PROJECT MANAGER

Part of the team was in the New Orleans office and of course a very important part of the team was offshore actually making it happen.

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NATS OF CONTROL ROOM

COME IN JOE. I’M GONNA START UP MOTOR 2752.

COPY THAT. GO AHEAD.

ALRIGHT ROGER THAT. I’M GONNA START INCREASING PRESSURE.

TEMPERATURE IS RISING. BEEP. IT LOOKS LIKE THE WELL IS FLOWING.

APPLAUSE.

GOOD JOB.

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ALLISON HALLOCK

OFFSHORE ENGINEER

The well opened. They said the well is flowing. We saw the temperature increase, the bottom hole pressure start to decrease. Everything worked well topsides. We had really stable flow at first. Which was exciting.

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TIM FRANK

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Reaction was both relief on one hand and a feeling of immense responsibility on the other.

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ALLISON HALLOCK

OFFSHORE ENGINEER

There was a lot of handshakes, high fives. Some hugs, maybe some tears.

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Maybe add in some of the VP’s speech on the monitor here. Even if very hard to hear, we can subtitle it.

Also, add in some shots of people on platform, cutting cake, cheering in kitchen, etc.

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MARNO DE JONG

APPOMATTOX PROJECT MANAGER

They were dancing in the corridors in The Hague. Jumping with joy because Appomattox had started up.

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TODD COULON

OFFSHORE INSTALLATION MANAGER

You don’t get too many opportunities like this in your career. To bring on a facility in this magnitude. I get goosebumps just talking about it because I’m so proud.

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GARRY JORDAN

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY MANAGER

I’m proud to be a part of this team. We all had huge contributions to make and without those we couldn’t have made it.

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MARNO DE JONG

APPOMATTOX PROJECT MANAGER

It’s been a great run. It’s been an enormous team achievement. We’ve been given ourselves something we can be tremendously proud of as a team.

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ALLISON HALLOCK

OFFSHORE ENGINEER

Now we get to troubleshoot our tuning on our control system as we start stable production.

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TIM FRANK

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Over the next couple of years as we ramp up Appomattox to its full production potential, it could be as much as 1/3 of the production for Shell in the Gulf of Mexico.

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MARNO DE JONG

APPOMATTOX PROJECT MANAGER

In many ways, Appomattox is the culmination of a large amount of successful projects that preceded it. But this is not the end. There’s a duty now to take care of this asset for the next 40 years.

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TIM FRANK

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Personally, I’m very humbled to be a part of this project. It’s exciting, but it’s also one of the most humbling things I’ve ever done.

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GARRY JORDAN

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY MANAGER

I always look back at Appomattox as being one of the highlights of my career.

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NATS OF CHEERING APPLAUSE

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MARNO DE JONG

APPOMATTOX PROJECT MANAGER

I’m sure that many of our team members will talk about this proejct for some years to come.

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GARRY JORDAN

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY MANAGER

You sit back and reflect and go: wow, what a journey.

SHELL PECTEN

TRT: 04:50