The offshore services provider DOF Group has secured a contract from Altera Infrastructure to install a floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) and a floating storage unit (FSO) for the phase 2 development of the Baleine field in Côte d'Ivoire. The contract includes project management, engineering, transportation, installation and hookup of floating units in the field. The project includes the complete installation of seabed mooring systems, flowline between FSO and FPSO, and associated equipment. Offshore operations are scheduled to start in third-quarter 2024.
Baleine, discovered in September 2021, is said to hold estimated reserves of 2.5 Gbl (335 Mt) of oil and 3.3 tcf (93.4 bcm) of associated gas. In August 2023, the Italian oil and gas company Eni (90%), together with the Ivorian state-owned national oil and gas company Petroci (10%), started production of the first phase of the project, through the Baleine FPSO, capable of handling up to 15 kb/d of oil and around 25 mcf/d (258 mcm/year) of associated gas. The Phase 2 of the Baleine Field is expected to start its development by the end of 2024 and will increase field production to 50 kb/d of oil and approximately 70 mcf/d (720 mcm/year) of associated gas. The third development phase aims to raise field production up to 150 kb/d of oil and 200 mcf/d (2.1 bcm/year) of gas.