Shell Offshore, a subsidiary of Shell plc, has started oil production at the Shell-operated Whale floating production facility in the Gulf of Mexico. Whale replicates the simplified, cost-efficient host design of the Vito platform, which began production in early 2023. The Whale development is owned by Shell Offshore Inc. (60%, operator) and Chevron USA Inc. (40%).

With an estimated peak production of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), Whale currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of 480 million boe. Whale replicates 99% of the hull design and 80% of the topsides from Vito. It also features energy-efficient gas turbines and compression systems, operating with around 30% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity over its life cycle than Vito.

The Whale production facility is in the Alaminos Canyon Block 773 and is adjacent to the Shell-operated Silvertip field, around 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Shell-operated Perdido platform and around 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Houston.

Discovered in 2017, the Whale field will feature a semi-submersible production host in more than 8,600 feet (2,600 meters) of water with a total of 15 wells to be tied back to the host via subsea infrastructure. Whale’s design closely replicates Vito, a four-column semi-submersible host facility located in the greater Mars Corridor.

Leveraging the engineering and construction techniques used for Vito, as well as its supply chain, Whale was able to achieve first oil 7.5 years after discovery. This timeframe includes a one-year delay to the final investment decision following Shell’s cash preservation strategy during the COVID pandemic.