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Construction is well under way on BP's billion-dollar Mardi Gras Transportation System in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. When completed in 2006, it will be the world's largest-capacity deepwater pipeline system, capable of transporting more than 1 million bpd of crude and 1.5 Mcf/d of gas.
Background
For more than four years, BP has been working on this historic project. The project will traverse 490 miles in the Gulf and transport oil and gas from deepwater field developments in the Southern Green Canyon and Mississippi Canyon leasing areas to markets in the U.S. These developments include the Holstein, Mad Dog, Atlantis and Thunder Horse fields in depths ranging from 4,500 to 7,300 feet. The oil and gas from these fields will be transported to shore by means of the Mardi Gras Transportation System, consisting of Cleopatra, Caesar, Proteus, Endymion and Okeanos pipelines.
Ranging in size from 16 to 28 inches in diameters, these lines will begin at steel catenary risers (SCKs) on the UP host platforms, (two spars and two semi-submersibles) and run to booster platforms located on the continental shelf.
BP's Mardi Gras Transportation System also involves the installation of lateral lines, wye sleds, Pipeline End Terminations (PLETs) and jumpers that connect the lines, together with all their associated components and fittings.
Building a project of this scope is no easy task. At the deepest point of the pipeline system, the water pressure on the pipeline reaches a force of 3,245 psi. The combination of pipe diameter, unprecedented water depth and water pressure is pushing pipeline technology past previous limits and will set new milestones and achievements for deep-water developments.