Matterhorn Gas Field Overview

Location and Ownership

The Matterhorn field is located in Mississippi Canyon Block 243 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, approximately 170 km southeast of New Orleans, USA. Initially wholly owned and operated by TotalFinaElf E&P USA, the field was sold to W&T Offshore in April 2010.

Discovery and Development

Discovered in 1999, the Matterhorn field came onstream in November 2003. Situated in 850 meters of water, it has a production capacity of 33,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The field features multilayer sands with five reservoirs stacked between 6,000 and 11,000 feet below sea level.

Mini Tension Leg Platform (TLP)

The Matterhorn development utilizes a mini tension leg platform (TLP), designed for efficient, centralized production. The platform, fabricated by Keppel Fels in Singapore, is the largest of its type at 4,500 tons, featuring vertical access production flowlines through a central moonpool.

Construction and Installation

The Matterhorn SeaStar hull structure was fabricated starting January 2002 and completed by year-end. The platform was then transported to Pascagoula, Mississippi, for topsides mating. The topsides, constructed by Gulf Marine Fabricators in Texas, are distributed over three decks with a design capacity to process 35,000 barrels of oil per day, 55 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, and 20,000 barrels of water treated per day.

Structural Details

1. Hull Structure: The hull consists of a central column with three pontoons, designed to support a payload of 16,850 kips and weighing approximately 12,280 kips.
2. Tendons: The platform is anchored to the seabed by six 32-inch neutrally buoyant steel tubular tendons, each secured by 96-inch-diameter, 415-foot piles.

Contractors and Engineering

Key contractors involved in the Matterhorn project include:

1. Keppel Fels: Hull construction
2. Paragon Engineering: Topside facilities design using the 3D Plant Design Management System (PDMS)
3. Kiewit Offshore Service: Fabrication of steel tubular tendons
4. Gulf Marine Fabricators: Fabrication of piles for the tendons
5. Heerema: Offshore installation using the Balder crane vessel

Matterhorn represents a significant achievement in offshore engineering and production, showcasing innovative design and construction techniques to meet the challenging demands of deep – water oil and gas extraction.