Subsea7 has been awarded a contract by Shell Offshore to provide engineering services for the Sparta deep-water development in the US Gulf of Mexico, with project management and engineering activities commencing immediately in Houston, Texas.
The project involves the transportation and installation of a floating production system at Garden Banks Block 959, located approximately 275 kilometres off the southeastern coast of Louisiana in water depths of up to 1,635 metres.
The Sparta development spans four Outer Continental Shelf blocks in the Garden Banks area and will feature a semi-submersible production host at depths exceeding 1,400 metres.
Initial infrastructure includes eight oil and gas producing wells tied back to the facility.
Shell Offshore holds a 51 per cent operating interest in the project, with Equinor Gulf of Mexico owning the remaining 49 per cent.
Craig Broussard, Subsea7’s Gulf of Mexico senior vice-president, emphasised the partnership’s continuity, stating: “We are proud to continue our collaboration with Shell in the U.S., building on past projects, including the recent Vito development.
“We look forward to playing a key role in the successful delivery of the Sparta project.”
Sparta is projected to achieve peak production of approximately 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, leveraging an estimated recoverable resource volume of 244 million barrels.
Scheduled to commence production in 2028, it will become Shell’s 15th deep-water host in the Gulf of Mexico.
The project underscores Shell’s cost-efficiency strategy through standardised designs, replicating 95 per cent of the hull and 85 per cent of the topsides from the Whale development.
Notably, Sparta will be the first of Shell’s replicable projects to incorporate all-electric topside compression equipment, aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The final investment decision for Sparta was jointly approved by Shell and Equinor in December 2023.
Earlier this year, TechnipFMC secured a contract to deliver the subsea production system, marking another critical step in the project’s progression.
Offshore operations for Subsea7’s scope are slated to begin in 2027, aligning with the 2028 production timeline.
The Sparta development highlights Shell’s commitment to scalable deep-water projects while integrating emission-reduction technologies, positioning it as a benchmark for future offshore endeavors in the region.
