Hess, Chevron confirm first oil from Tubular Bells in the Gulf of Mexico

Hess, Chevron confirm first oil from Tubular Bells in the Gulf of Mexico

NEW YORK -- Hess and Chevron announced that the Tubular Bells field in deepwater Gulf of Mexico has started crude oil and natural gas production. The field is located 135 mi southeast of New Orleans, in approximately 4,300 ft of water in the Mississippi Canyon area. The discovery well was drilled in 2003, and project construction began in October 2011.

Tubular Bells is expected to deliver total production of approximately 50,000 boed from three wells.

“We are proud to deliver Tubular Bells safely and on budget,” said Hess CEO John Hess. “One year after Hess took over as operator, the project was sanctioned and fast tracked with an execution schedule to first oil in just three years.”

“The deepwater Gulf of Mexico plays a significant part in our earnings and production growth. Achieving first oil at Tubular Bells is an important step towards Chevron achieving its production goal of 3.1 MMbpd by 2017,” said George Kirkland, vice chairman and executive V.P. of Chevron's upstream division.

The Tubular Bells production facility is producing from the Miocene trend, and the production facility is a classic spar hull with traditional three-level topsides. The field has an estimated production life of 25 yr.

Hess is the operator with a 57.14% interest, while Chevron has a 42.86% interest in the development.