Three major energy-related companies have formed Sea Plex Corporation of Tulsa to provide the offshore industry with retrievable, bottom-supported drilling/production/storage facilities specifically designed to exploit fields that had been considered marginal. These facilities will operate in water depths up to 500 feet, according to John A. Haeber, executive vice president and general manager of Sea Plex, which is jointly owned by Combustion Engineering, Inc., Stamford, Conn.; Sea Tank Company, Rungis, France; and Marathon LeTourneau Offshore Company, Houston.
The Sea Plex system is designed to meet operator requirements for lower total investment in marginal field development and earlier cash flow. Each facility will incorporate a field-proven Marathon LeTourneau Offshore jackup platform and a Sea Tank Company concrete storage caisson base. The wellheads, templates, tie-back systems along with other seafloor and surface components, as well as production processing equipment, will be supplied by Combustion Engineering's subsidiaries C-E Vetco, Gray Tool Company, and C-E Natco.
In addition to being retrievable upon field depletion for relocation to other marginal fields, the Sea Plex facility is designed to arrive on site in a complete, functional state. This capability will permit virtually immediate full-time, on-station drilling, workover, and production operations with a minimum set-up time.
Artist's drawing of a Sea Plex Corporation retrievable, bottom-supported drilling/production/storage facility as it would look on site.