The Sèmè oil field off the coast of Benin has resumed oil flow for the first time in nearly three decades, marking a significant milestone in one of West Africa’s longest-dormant offshore redevelopment projects.
Rex International subsidiary Lime Petroleum Holding has confirmed the successful hook-up of a Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU) and a Floating Storage and Offloading vessel (FSO) at the field in Block 1. The FSO Kristina has been anchored in place, and a flow-line has been laid from the MOPU Stella Energy 1 to the FSO. Oil is now flowing into the FSO as commissioning of the production system gets underway.
The field, first discovered by Union Oil in 1969 and originally developed by Norway’s Saga Petroleum between 1982 and 1998, produced approximately 22 million barrels before production was suspended due to a collapse in oil prices in the late 1990s. Akrake Petroleum Benin SA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lime Petroleum, holds a 76% operating interest in the field.
The reactivation forms part of a 100-day, three-well work programme targeting the H6 formation with two horizontal production wells, as well as a deeper vertical appraisal well into the H7 and H8 reservoirs to inform a potential Phase 2 expansion. The team is backed by reprocessed 3D seismic data and plans to conduct further testing and commissioning in the coming days to optimise production rates and establish regular output.
Sources: Offshore Energy, Oil Review Africa