In November 2022, SLB and Subsea7 announced that Subsea Integration Alliance has been awarded an engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract by bp for a two-phase liquid natural gas (LNG) tieback to the Juniper platform, offshore Trinidad and Tobago.  
 
We spoke with Subsea Integration Alliance Project Director Mohamed Hegazi, SPS Project Manager Charles Henderson, and SURF Project Manager and Deputy Subsea Integration Alliance Project Director Ed Weeks about the direction of the bp Cypre project.
 
What is the development strategy for this project? 
 
Ed Weeks: It’s a two-phase tieback to the Juniper platform via a four-slot manifold and dual flowlines. The Juniper platform’s slots are full, so we are decommissioning two existing flexible risers from depleted wells and replacing them with larger-diameter lines. A heavily integrated partner on this project is the Trinidad and Tobago−based Massy Wood, who will be leading the upgrades to the topsides scope.
 

Digital rendering of the Cypre drill centre, showing Subsea Integration Alliance−provided equipment and the field layout.
 
How was the concept for the bp Cypre project developed? 
 
Charles Henderson: We leveraged our early engagement team and Subsea Planner^* collaborative field development solution to develop a subsea solution concept and estimate pricing as well as a schedule. By using the information that we get from that early engagement and the supplier standard product philosophy, multiple activities that used to be performed sequentially can now be done in parallel streams of work. It’s a different way of executing projects because it requires engaging the supply chain earlier, and it places a premium on collaboration and coordination to develop project requirements not just between the alliance, but also with bp. But the value of this approach is that it gives bp the ability to achieve first gas quicker.
 
How does Subsea Integration Alliance’s integrated project model address risk?
 
Mohamed Hegazi: The integrated model—taking ownership of the interfaces and the interface risk and hardware delivery, combined with the scheduling of vessel activity—supports schedule and price certainty. In a typical standalone contract, bp carries contingency for changes driven by the subsea production system (SPS) scope that could impact the subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF) scope or vice versa. In the integrated model, that risk is borne by Subsea Integration Alliance, and therefore there is more price certainty for bp. 
 

Location of bp Cypre project, offshore Trinidad and Tobago.

How has early engagement helped you manage the current demand pressures on the supply chain? 
 
Ed Weeks: The market post-COVID is heating up, and it’s extremely difficult to get slots at fabrication sites for flexibles, and this requires more than 32 km of flexible product being procured. We had to be in early to secure slots—waiting six months to complete front-end engineering and design (FEED) would have likely added significantly more lead time for product delivery. Procuring production slots early enables delivery for Q1 2024 and ensures the flexible procurement does not drive the project timeline.

Charles Henderson: As I said before, traditionally you work in sequence, and each step can add quite a bit of time to your execution window. But we are leveraging a high degree of standardisation, and we know the products. We were already familiar with the subsea tree design because we’d used it on bp’s Matapal project in Trinidad. We had a very advanced electric-actuation manifold design already in place. Our connection systems are standard. We were able to essentially define the equipment very quickly and get the key components on order. Early procurement derisked the project. The longer the wait, the more uncertainty, and you’re going to be competing for those production slots, so it’s important to get them secured and booked to support the project timelines. 
 
Mohamed Hegazi: I’d also add that although bp didn’t need to award equipment for phase two early in the project because it isn’t needed until 2025, they benefitted from the phase-one equipment pricing to secure the equipment for phase two. Booking that early gave them better delivery dates and it gives them more flexibility later on, in terms of execution, and gets them to phase-two production sooner.

^*Mark of SLB.

SLB press release
Subsea7 press release