Elf Floating Production Unit Ready To Leave For Nkossa Field

French petroleum company Elf Aquitaine's 721-ft. (219.7-m) floating production unit left the port of Fos-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean coast of France on March 16 for a voyage of approximately six weeks, to its Nkossa oil field. Located 37 miles off the coast of Congo, West Africa, Nkossa is reportedly the deepest offshore development yet undertaken in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, the largest operated by Elf Congo, and one of the most important carried out by Elf Aquitaine.

The pre-stressed concrete barge is reportedly the largest of its type to be built.

Placed on it are size modules which form an entire production unit weighing 11,000 metric tons. The modules are used for accommodation and central control, utilities, electricity generation, compression of gas for re-injection, crude oil treatment and liquid petroleum gas production.

The Nkossa field was discovered by Elf Congo on the exploration permit called Haute Mer in 1984. It is located 9,800 ft. (2,987 m) under the sea floor in a water depth which varies from 500 to 1,000 ft. (152.4 to 304.8 m). Production of a high quality oil comparable to Brent crude will begin this year, and is estimated to continue for 30 years. The production plateau will reach 120,000 barrels per day.

Partners in the Nkossa field and Haute Mer license are Elf Congo (operator) at 51 percent, Chevron Overseas (Congo) Ltd. at 30 percent, Hydro-Congo at 15 percent and Engen Exploration (Congo) Ltd. at four percent.