Key factsLocation: 100km off Sabah, Malaysia
Water depth: Around 500 metres (1,640 feet)
Interests: Shell 35% (Shell-operated), ConocoPhilips Sabah 35%, PETRONAS Carigali 30%
Key contractors: Technip-MMHE JV, IEV/Heerema, Technip Marine, UMW/Dril-Quip
Reservoir: Kinarut and Kamunsu-2
Average peak annual production: 60,000 bbl/d
Current developments
The Malikai oil field lies around 100 kilometres (60 miles) off Sabah, Malaysia, at a water depth of around 500 metres (1,640 feet). It consists of two main reservoirs with peak annual production of 60,000 bbl/d. The field’s “tension-leg” platform (TLP) will pipe oil to the shallow-water Kebabangan platform 50km (around 30 miles) away for processing. It also produces natural gas which will both power the TLP and be pumped into the production tubing to help oil flow from the reservoir (“gas lift”). Any extra gas will be sent out via the Kebabangan platform.
The field is part of the Block G Production Sharing Contract awarded by PETRONAS in 1995. Shell, the operator, and ConocoPhillips each hold a 35% interest in the development while PETRONAS Carigali has 30%.
The Malikai development will require wells drilled from the ~27,500-tonne TLP production facility. The contracts for the engineering, procurement and construction of the TLP have been awarded and work is under way.
The first stage of drilling – the top part of the wells or “top holes” – was completed safely in January 2015. The main drilling campaign is scheduled to start in 2016.