Malaysia Petroleum Management
Author: Irman Zubir Bin Zakaria, Project Governance, RDM,MPM
Phase 1 of the East Cendor field development project was sanctioned in mid-2019.
The project will have eight (8) wells tied back to the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) Cendor, with production expected to start in 2021. Petrofac, the operator of Block PM304, where the Cendor field is located, initiated the field development processes in August 2019.
However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic affected activities in Malaysia and globally, and projects were delayed. In March 2020, the Government of Malaysia imposed the Movement Control Order (MCO) and subsequently the Restricted Movement Control Order (RMCO). Despite this, PETRONAS overcame the obstacles by collaborating with the Government of Malaysia and ensured smooth processes for our partners, Petrofac, Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) and our fabricator Muhibbah Engineering Bhd (MEB) for a successful loadout of the project substructure on 27August 2020.
The construction of the 1100MT, three-legged structure design, using suction pile technology was optimised by eliminating the need for offshore soil piling, ensuring pace and cost reduction. The substructure sailed away on 31 August 2020 and will be installed offshore Peninsular Malaysia, ready for first hydrocarbon production in 2021.
The successful loadout would not have been possible without the strong collaboration among all partners. Our partners complied with all MCO requirements whilst giving utmost priority towards the health, safety, security and environment (HSSE). This was a critical element for overall project completion as well as contributed to timely hydrocarbon production.
