Limbayong is an oil and non-associated gas field proposed to be developed in water depths between 900m and 1,200m, within Block G, approximately 120km offshore Sabah in East Malaysia.
The Limbayong field is operated by Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas with a 100% working interest. Petronas invited bids for leasing floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for the development of the deep-water Limbayong field in November 2018. A fresh tender was issued for the FPSO leasing in October 2020.
Recommended White Papers
Recommended Buyers Guides
The bidders for the supply of an FPSO facility for the field are Sabah International Petroleum, MTC-Shapoorji Palloonji O&G and MISC (formerly known as Malaysia International Shipping Corporation) in partnership with Yinson. The capital expenditure for the development of the FPSO is approximately $600m to $800m.
The deep-water project is expected to support the development of the prospects located within a radius of 18km to 30km, creating more opportunities for the local industry and driving economic growth.
Limbayong field discovery and appraisal details
In 2002, the drilling of the Limbayong-1 well in Block G by the previous operator Shell and co-venturers ConocoPhillips and Petronas resulted in the discovery of gas. The Limbayong Gas Holding Area, covering acreage in blocks G and J, was established in 2009. The drilling of the Limbayong-2 appraisal well encountered 136m of oil-bearing sands in November 2013.
Global seafloor drilling company Benthic used its portable remotely operated drill (PROD) to collect the samples of geotechnical borehole and conducted cone penetration test (CPT) by penetrating up to 100m. Seismic probes for CPTs reached 40m in water depths of 700m to 1,040m. MMA Valour vessel was used to execute the geotechnical work.
Limbayong oil and gas field development details
The Limbayong field will be developed with ten deep-water wells that will be tied back to the project’s FPSO unit.
The project will also involve the installation of the subsea production system made up of subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF). Other equipment, including subsea trees, manifolds, jumpers and other associated sub-sea hardware will also be installed.
Subsea production system features
The sub-sea production system will combine UK-based oil and gas company TechnipFMC’s integrated sub-sea solutions with its Subsea 2.0™ products, including compact trees, compact manifolds and flexible jumpers. The products are smaller, 50% lighter and use fewer parts than their previous generations.
The product platform will be constructed using standardised components assembled in a modular architecture. The design will enable easier installation and improved field performance with cost savings, optimised sub-sea architectures and reduced contractual risks.
Limbayong FPSO details
The FPSO unit will be able to process 40,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and 150 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) of gas with a liquids storage capacity of 60,000bpd and water injection capacity of 75,000bpd.
Contractors involved
TechnipFMC’s subsidiary FMC Wellhead Equipment was awarded a contract to provide front-end engineering design (FEED) and integrated engineering, procurement, construction, installation (iEPCI™) and commissioning of the subsea production system for the project in February 2021.
The project will be managed from TechnipFMC’s office in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and will utilise the services of its local manufacturing facilities in Malaysia.
Benthic in partnership with Malaysian engineering consultant Asian Geos performed the geotechnical work for the project in 2018.
Petronas’ deep-water portfolio
In addition to the Limbayong oil and gas field project, Petronas holds working interests in deep-water development projects including the upcoming Kelidang Cluster in Brunei and the Gumusut-Kakap, Malikai and Kikeh deep-water fields located offshore Sabah.
