First Order for new GE Oil & Gas VetcoGray SVXT S-Series Subsea Tree
GE Oil & Gas’ Drilling and Production business today confirmed the first order for its breakthrough new VetcoGray SVXT S-series subsea tree. GE is supplying Shell U.K. Ltd with the new SVXT tree Alongside earlier front-end engineering design (FEED) work undertaken on behalf of Shell U.K. Ltd and Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. (NAM), this order is awarded under GE’s existing regional frame agreement with Shell. The SVXT will be delivered to Shell in the fourth quarter of 2010 and installed in the first quarter of 2011.
Jan Duinhoven, SWEEP Project Manager for Shell NAM, said: “Reliable, more compact and cost effective solutions are required in the mature Southern North Sea, to be able to profitably develop the remaining gas accumulations.”
Matt Corbin, Regional Leader UK & Continental Europe, GE Oil & Gas said: “Designed and built in Aberdeen, the new SVXT S-Series subsea tree’s lighter, more streamlined structure is a great example of the reliable innovation mindset underpinning GE’s entire drilling and production portfolio. We’re proud to be continuing our partnership with Shell U.K. and NAM through the first order for the new SVXT.”
The SVXT S-Series VetcoGray subsea tree was recently unveiled at the 2009 Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition held in Aberdeen in September. The SVXT merges horizontal and vertical tree technology and is intended for harsh, shallow water fields, predominantly in the North Sea but also for global export. The streamlined SVXT design reduces tree weight by over 20 percent, significantly decreases height and delivers essential functionality in a pre-engineered, pre-configured 'modular' approach. Low-cost installation of the new SVXT is achieved through a design that enables deployment using standard offshore jack-up drilling rigs without the need for major modifications.
Additional SVXT design features include smaller tree and fisher-friendly wellhead protection structures, as well as an innovative barrier approach that removes the need for a separate tree cap.
GE Oil & Gas Drilling and Production offers a full range of integrated subsea solutions, including trees, controls, manifolds, connection systems, subsea power and processing. All of these systems are designed to provide competitive lead times, reliability and lowest installed cost. With 20 years of operating experience in harsh environments, GE’s VetcoGray shallow-water tree systems are an established industry benchmark.
