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Olympus hull arrives in Ingleside, Texas
Shell’s Olympus hull completed its two month journey on Saturday, January 26, arriving safely in Ingleside, Texas to a welcoming fan base of employees, friends and family.
The hull, or main body, of Shell’s sixth and largest tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico departed South Korea on November 28 on the Blue Marlin and traveled 18,272 miles with 26 crew members on board.
What’s next for Olympus?
The lift and set of the topsides modules will begin in February and last several weeks. Once integration with the topsides is complete, the platform will prepare to sail to its final location on the Mars Field in the Gulf of Mexico.
Filmed from the Texas coast on January 26, watch the Olympus hull arriving and see the reactions of people behind the project and their families and friends.
Extending the life on Mars
The Mars Field, owned by Shell (71.5%) and BP (28.5%), and operated by Shell, continues to contribute to the Gulf of Mexico's position as a critical component of the US energy supply. Discovered in 1989 and brought onto production in 1996, the Mars Field is considered one of the largest resource basins in the Gulf of Mexico. The site for the Olympus TLP, known as the Mars B development, is located about 130-miles south of New Orleans in the Mississippi Canyon and lies in approximately 3000 feet of water.
The Olympus TLP will also provide process infrastructure for two of Shell's deep water discoveries, West Boreas and South Deimos.
The Mars B development is the first project of its kind to expand an existing deep water Gulf of Mexico oil field. A combination of factors produced this growth, including improved understanding of the reservoir and recovery potential due to advanced seismic and modeling technologies, and new discoveries in the Mars Field.