Mercator first forayed into the Oil & Gas business in 2004, when it chartered a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) Unit to BG Group. Since then, the oil & gas division has seen a steady growth with the most recent achievement being the Sagar Samrat Conversion Project for ONGC. With a portfolio of projects including two Oil & Gas blocks in India, Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) Units and a Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU) in Nigeria, the Oil & Gas vertical has proved itself as a strategic component of Mercator’s philosophy of diversified growth.
Company placed the order for a Jack Up Rig in November 2007 with Keppel FELLS Ltd which was delivered in 2009 & was immediately contracted to one of private sector shipping company in India. The Group has opted out of the Offshore Drilling segment wef March 2011 as strategic decision.
1) Oil & Gas Blocks
In December 2008, Mercator signed Production Sharing Contracts with the Government of India for exploration of Petroleum in two blocks under the Seventh New Exploration Licensing Policy round (NELP-VII). Mercator is the operator of these blocks. The “S-Type” blocks are situated onshore in the prolific Cambay Basin, Gujarat, India.
Block CB-ONN-2005/3 is located in the Mehsana-Ahmedabad tectonic Block and covers an area of 48 Sq. Km. Commenced 2D & 3D seismic data acquisition.
Block CB-ONN-2005/9 is located in the Broach- Jambushar tectonic Block and covers an area of 132.22 Sq. Km. Completed 2D & 3D seismic data acquisition. Processing and interpretation in progress.
2) Floating Production Unit (MOPU + FSO)
In 2010, Mercator won a contract for Charter of a Floating Production Unit (FPU), which is a combination of a MOPU and an FSO, from Afren Plc., a UK listed Company, with worldwide operations in oil exploration. To execute this, Mercator provided Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation and Commissioning (EPCIC) services successfully at an oil field in Nigeria, with the services customized as per the requirements of the Charterer. This unique and complex project was executed in a record 432 days, working around the clock and coordinating the project from various parts of the world. Mercator is currently operating the FPU at the Ebok field in Nigeria.
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Sr.no
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Floating Production Unit
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Type
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Built
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Flag
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Details/ Specification
|
|
1
|
Virini Prem
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FSO
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1988
|
Liberia
|
|
|
2
|
Veer Prem
|
MOPU
|
1966
|
Panama
|
|
3) Sagar Samrat
On 17th November 2011, a consortium of Mercator and Gulf Piping Company, Abu Dhabi was awarded an EPC contract by ONGC Ltd. for conversion of their Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (“MODU”) ‘Sagar Samrat’ into Mobile Offshore Production Unit (“MOPU”).
The scope of work for this project includes Surveys, Design, Engineering, Procurement, Fabrication, Transportation, Jack up, Hook-up, Testing, Certification/Inspection, Pre-commissioning, Start-up and Commissioning of entire facilities including demolition of existing Drilling equipment for the conversion of Sagar Samrat to Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU).
Key Clientele:| Afren | BG- INDIA | ONGC