Alliance Engineering Awarded Detailed Topsides Engineering and Design for Williams Partners' Gulfstar One, Tubular Bells Field

HOUSTON, Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood Group's Alliance Engineering has been awarded the detailed engineering and design of the topside facilities and deck for Williams Partners' Gulfstar FPS™ spar production platform. This wet-tree platform will be installed in block 768 of the Gulf of Mexico's Mississippi Canyon area to produce oil and gas from the Tubular Bells field, which is owned by Hess Corporation (Operator) and Chevron U.S.A. Inc.

The Gulfstar spar platform will be located in 4,300 feet of water and designed to process 60,000 barrels of oil per day and 200 MMscf of gas per day.  The single-lift topsides will have three deck levels and include processing equipment, seawater injection equipment, utilities, an accommodation building with helideck, and pumping and compression equipment to export the treated oil and gas through departing pipelines.  The completed deck will weigh approximately 7,000 short tons. Initial production is scheduled to commence in 2014.

"Alliance has been working with Williams Partners to develop their standard Gulfstar floating production system concept (FPS)," said Edmund Lunde, president of Alliance.  "With concept development and FEED completed, we are pleased to continue working with Williams Partners on the detailed design of their first Gulfstar FPS. We are confident Williams, Hess and Chevron will benefit from our focus, skill, and experience in developing the Tubular Bells topsides."

Notes to Editors
Alliance Engineering provides highly optimized concept-to-completion custom engineering and design solutions for the oil & gas industry, and past projects include some of the world's most recognized project developments. With an emphasis on quality initiatives, cost-effective engineering and a partnership approach to customer relationships, Alliance has provided cutting-edge and fit-for-purpose engineering services for customers worldwide. Alliance offers services and expertise for: offshore projects, including topsides facilities for fixed-platforms, FPSOs, semi-submersibles, tension leg platforms (TLP) and SPAR-type deepwater developments, and onshore projects, including upstream production and processing facilities, compressor stations, pipelines, and storage projects. Alliance has offices in Houston, Denver and Canonsburg, PA.  www.alliance-engineering.com

Wood Group (John Wood Group PLC) is an international energy services company with $5.5bn sales, employing more than 38,000 people worldwide and operating in 50 countries. The Group has three businesses—Engineering, Wood Group PSN and Wood Group GTS—providing a range of engineering, production support, maintenance management and industrial gas turbine overhaul and repair services to the oil & gas, and power generation industries worldwide. www.woodgroup.com

The Tubular Bells field is owned by Hess, the operator of record and majority equity holder (57.14 per cent), and Chevron, with 42.86 per cent. The Williams Partners Gulfstar One host facility is under contract with Hess to process the Tubular Bells production.

SOURCE Alliance Engineering