Four offshore Taranaki projects – the Shell-operated Pohokura and Origin-operated Kupe gas-condensate developments, and the Australian Worldwide Exploration-operated Tui and OMV-operated Maari oil developments – are providing an unprecedented diversity and depth of contract work.

Some industry heavyweights, such as Technip Group, are now moving to their second projects, while others, such as Australian Drilling Associates, are making their first foray into New Zealand.

Melbourne-headquartered ADA recently joined the Kupe gas project as the drilling consultancy group. It is responsible for all planning work – well design, contracting and procurement – as well as the health and safety, technical and operational objectives of the drilling campaign.

While much major project work – such as the fabrication and installation of jackets, and of the floating production, storage and offtake (FPSO) vessels – is outside the scope of New Zealand companies, many local contractors are working on smaller tasks.

One of the most visible signs of this record level of activity is at Port Taranaki, where every second ship movement in or out of the New Plymouth port is associated with the projects.

The Swire Pacific Offshore support vessel Pacific Runner is still assisting the $NZ1 billion ($A890 million) near-shore northern Taranaki Pohokura project, taking supplies and personnel to the nearby jack-up Ensco Rig 56, which is halfway through drilling the six scheduled offshore wells.

Another Swire boat, the Pacific Wrangler, and the Far Grip, belonging to Norwegian company Farstad, are supporting the semi-submersible Ocean Patriot rig while it completes the last of four development wells for the $US245 million ($A318 million) Tui Area oil field development.

Subsea 7’s specialist Dive Support Vessel Rockwater 2, which last year installed the Pohokura platform’s moorings and risers for Technip Oceania, is back to complete some underwater tie-ins for the offshore wells of the Pohokura project, and to lay shore-to-platform pipelines and umbilicals.

New Zealand’s Fletcher Construction was the main contractor for the Pohokura onshore production station, while New Plymouth’s Fitzroy Engineering Group Ltd (FEGL) built the topsides module.

Gas from the offshore Pohokura wells will be progressively brought onstream as operator Shell Exploration NZ and the Ensco Rig 56 complete the second stage development during late 2007/early 2008.

The Rockwater 2 has also worked on the Tui project, installing the anchors to hold the four steel mid-water arches that FEGL fabricated, which support the various flowlines to the FPSO vessel Umuroa.

The Rockwater 2 and another specialist vessel, the heavy cargo ship Daniella, from Newcastle, England, have also nearly finished laying the Tui flexible pipelines and umbilicals. The Rockwater 2 also assisted in the hook-up of the Tui FPSO Umuroa after it arrived from Singapore in April.

Norwegian company Prosafe has already set up shore-based facilities in New Plymouth in preparation for operating the Umuroa.

Recent wild wintry weather has delayed the Tui’s commissioning. First oil is now expected sometime in July, a month behind the original scheduled date.

While the Pohokura and Tui projects wind down, engineering and support contractors are gearing up for the $NZ980 million ($A872 million) Kupe gas-condensate and $US419 million ($A510 million) Maari oil developments.

Kupe operator Origin Energy has a Kupe project office in Perth, next door to lead contractor Technip Oceania.

Origin has also opened a New Plymouth office – in addition to the small Hawera office and construction village for the nearby onshore production station – to house Origin's management team, as well as that of the main drilling contractor Australian Drilling Associates (ADA).

A second jack-up, Ensco Rig 107, is scheduled to arrive from Vietnam in early September – first to install the Kupe wellhead platform (WHP) and drill the four production wells, then to drill the Momoho near-field exploration well and possibly one other well.

Marubeni-Itochu Tubular has supplied most of the casing and tubing that is stacked at Port Taranaki waiting for the rig’s arrival.

Thai Nippon Steel has finished fabricating the Kupe WHP jacket and is due to complete the topsides by the end of September.

Origin Kupe project director Peter Ashford says the jacket is expected to leave the Thailand in late June/early July, with the Yeo Tide and Warlock supply vessels towing the platform jacket barge to New Zealand. The topsides are not due to leave Thailand until October.

Local experience and expertise are to the fore when it comes to supplying manning, logistics and catering requirements for rigs and FPSOs.

Offshore Solutions – a partnership between New Plymouth-based ETL Group and Swire Pacific Offshore NZ, and Wellington’s Seaworks company – is providing support vessels, diving and underwater inspection services for Pohokura.

The consortium will also be responsible for the Tui project’s Umuroa FPSO’s piloting and offtake operationsr. As well, Offshore Solutions will be providing drilling logistics support for next year’s Maari drilling program.

New Plymouth’s Wendell Offshore Group – part of Perth-headquartered commercial services and supplies company Integrated Group – is providing the manning and catering contracts for the Umuroa. Wendell is also providing drilling logistics and support services for the Kupe drilling campaign.

Another New Plymouth company MetOcean Solutions has provided meteorological and oceanographic data for both the Tui and Maari projects.

Overall, the Maari project is more than 40% complete, with Singapore’s SembCorp Marine conversion of the Andaman Sea oil tanker into the Maari FPSO Raroa more than 60% complete. Work on the Maari WHP is more than 60% complete, with the critical sail-away window for the WHP still expected in September.

The primary Maari engineering contractor is Australian company Clough – which is responsible for engineering, procurement, construction and installation activities related to the WHP. Others include marine and personnel provider Offshore Marine Services, which is already advertising for staff to work on the Maari FPSO that Singapore-headquartered Tanker Pacific Management will operate.