Trident Energy 50-Well Permanent P&A Campaign

Helix do Brasil, in collaboration with SLB through the Subsea Services Alliance, successfully executed a 50-well decommissioning campaign for Trident Energy in Brazil’s Campos Basin. Initially planned as a one-year project targeting 14-16 wells annually, the campaign’s strong performance prompted the client to extend it to three years, resulting in the completion of 18-20 permanent plug and abandonment operations per year.  

The Subsea Services Alliance, a partnership between Helix and SLB established in 2015, combines decades of experience in surface, subsea and subsurface aspects of well intervention and decommissioning to provide a suite of integrated services to the client with a “one down all down” contracting structure. For this campaign, Helix utilized the DP3 well intervention vessel Siem Helix 1, two work class ROVs and the Intervention Riser System 3. In addition, Helix managed all campaign engineering, project management, and the coordination of all operations conducted onboard. SLB provided a comprehensive suite of downhole services, including coiled tubing, digital slickline, wireline, cementing, well testing, and fluid management.

Helix also utilized an innovative shallow water tethering system to provide a safe decommissioning process on weak trees and wellheads. Those shallow water wells had been deemed unfeasible for conventional DP drilling rigs even moored semi submersible units. The system mitigated the need for more complex abandonment methodologies or slower and less fuel efficient drilling units, avoiding increased operational time and reducing CO2e emission. By implementing an integrated project management approach and leveraging Helix’s specially designed, fuel-efficient resources, the project achieved an estimated 40% reduction in vessel time compared to similar campaigns in the same region.

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