February 12, 2025 • 2 min read
Partnering to standardize and replicate offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico
We’ve reached a major milestone with the successful commencement of Whale
Whale is Shell’s second deepwater project in the Gulf of Mexico to implement a simplified host design. The facility features a 99 percent replicated hull and an 80 percent replication of the topsides from the Vito project, which began production in 2023. Vito, a lightweight four-column semi-submersible host facility, has set a new standard in the industry with its compact and efficient design, allowing for greater cost savings and operational flexibility.
Accelerating repeatable, cost effective and energy efficient offshore production
Weighing around 25,000 tonnes, Whale is a third of the weight of Shell’s Appomattox platform in the Gulf of Mexico. With a 10,000-tonne topsides deck, it’s designed to reach peak production of around 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d). It also incorporates energy efficient gas turbines and compression systems, which is expected to lower carbon intensity by 30 percent over its lifecycle, compared with its predecessor.
(Copyright Shell International Ltd.)
Whale: Shell’s latest deepwater project in the Gulf of Mexico
Together with Shell, we applied key learnings from the Vito project, enabling Whale to benefit from improved design efficiencies, operational predictability, and delivery certainty.
We provided full engineering, procurement, and construction support services, leading the project from our Houston and Metairie offices with support from our Global Integrated Delivery (GID) team in India. Our team adopted a digital-centric approach to this project, using a 3D model to issue digital designs with the fabricator, instead of traditional engineering drawings.
The platform was built in Singapore and then transported by sea to a quayside in Texas, US before being towed into the Gulf of Mexico.
“Whale demonstrates our commitment to working with customers to increase capital and operational efficiencies while lowering costs and emissions,” said Mark Trueman, Group President and Shell Account Executive Sponsor at Worley.
“Our experience with Shell on Vito enabled us to create a replicable model for deepwater platforms that is less complex to build and operate, helping to meet the evolving needs of the energy sector and to reduce its carbon footprint. We look forward to continuing our work with Shell towards more resilient and sustainable offshore energy solutions.”
Looking forward, we’re also collaborating on Shell’s next project, Sparta, an enhanced replication of Vito and Whale. Sparta achieved its Final Investment Decision (FID) in December 2023 and is set to begin production in 2028.
