Tiber Oil Field
{{Short description|Oil field in the Gulf of Mexico}}
{{Infobox oil field
| name = Tiber Oil Field
| image = Deepwater Horizon.jpg
| caption = The Tiber oilfield was drilled in 2009 by the semi-submersible oil rig Deepwater Horizon. The rig was destroyed as the result of an explosion 7 months after the discovery at Tiber, while drilling its next well at Macondo in April 2010.
| location_map = USA Texas
| location_map_width =
| location_map_text =
| relief =
| coordinates = {{coord|26.878333|-93.268333|region:US_type:landmark|display=title,inline}}
| country = United States
| region = Gulf of Mexico
| location = Keathley Canyon
| block = 102
| offonshore = Offshore
| operator = BP plc
| partners = BP plc (62%)
Petrobras (20%)
ConocoPhillips (18%<)
| discovery = 2009
| start_development =
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| peak_year =
| abandonment =
| oil_production_bbl/d =
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| est_oil_bbl = 4000
| est_oil_t =
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| formations = Lower Tertiary
}}
The Tiber Oil Field is a deepwater offshore oil field located in the Keathley Canyon block 102 of the United States sector of the Gulf of Mexico. The deepwater field (defined as water depth {{convert|1300|to|5000|ft|m}},{{cite web|title=Offshore technology roadmap for the ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico|url=http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/oilgas/publications/oilgas_generalpubs/offshore_GOM.pdf|publisher=United States Department of Energy |page=3|year=2000 |access-date=2010-06-16}}) was discovered in September 2009 and it is operated by BP. Described as a "giant" find, it is estimated to contain {{convert|4|to|6|Goilbbl}} of oil in place.{{cite news|url=http://www.dowjones.de/site/2009/09/bp-makes-giant-oil-find-in-deep-us-gulf-well.html |title=BP Makes "Giant" Oil Find In Deep U.S. Gulf Well |date=2009-09-02 |work=Dow Jones |access-date=2009-09-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912080444/http://www.dowjones.de/site/2009/09/bp-makes-giant-oil-find-in-deep-us-gulf-well.html |archive-date=2009-09-12 }}{{cite news | url=http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/09_37/b4146000578301.htm | title=What BP's New Oil Strike Means|last=Reed|first=Stanley|date=2009-02-01| work=BusinessWeek|access-date=2009-09-02}}{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Although BP states it is too early to be sure of the size – a "huge" field is usually considered to contain {{convert|250|Moilbbl}}. It required the drilling of a {{convert|10685|m|abbr=on}} deep well under {{convert|1260|m|abbr=on}} of water, making it one of the deepest wells ever drilled at the time of discovery.{{cite press release|url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7055818 |title=BP Announces Giant Oil Discovery In The Gulf Of Mexico |date=2009-09-02 |publisher=BP |access-date=2009-09-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905160740/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7055818 |archive-date=2009-09-05 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/IDeepwater-Horizon-i-Drills-Worlds-Deepest-Oil-and-Gas-Well-419C1.html?LayoutID=6 |title=Deepwater Horizon Drills World's Deepest Oil & Gas Well |date=2009-09-02 |publisher=TransOcean |access-date=2009-09-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428004206/http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/IDeepwater-Horizon-i-Drills-Worlds-Deepest-Oil-and-Gas-Well-419C1.html?LayoutID=6 |archive-date=2010-04-28 }}{{cite news |title=ConocoPhillips seeks to expand in Malaysia upstream |first=Peng |last=Seng Li |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE6570F820100608?type=marketsNews |work=Reuters |publisher=Thomson Reuters|access-date=2010-06-17 | date=2010-06-08}}
Description
Tiber comprises multiple Lower Tertiary petroleum reservoirs located in Keathley Canyon block 102 about {{convert|250|mi|abbr=on}} southeast of Houston and {{convert|300|mi|abbr=on}} south west of New Orleans.{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/business/global/03oil.html?_r=1 |title= BP Finds Giant Oil Field Deep in Gulf of Mexico |last=Krauss |first= Clifford |date=2009-09-02 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2010-05-01}} Tiber is only the 18th Lower Tertiary well to date, and drilling in these formations is in its infancy.{{cite news| url=http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200909030418dowjonesdjonline000396&title=bp-discovery-brings-deep-water-gulf-of-mexico-into-focus | title=BP Discovery Brings Deep Water Gulf of Mexico Into Focus|last=Gelsi|first=Steve|date=2009-09-03 | work=MarketWatch | access-date=2009-09-03}} The oil from Tiber is light crude, and early estimates of recoverable reserves are around 20–30% recovery, suggesting figures of around {{convert|600|to|900|Moilbbl}} of reserves. Sources such as Bloomberg suggest caution, warning that the find is technically complex and potentially could take 5–6 years to produce oil or be lower yield (5–15%) based on "rates talked about" at nearby Kaskida Oil Field,{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aeGpXwL7lH3U|title=BP Pushes Back Exploration Boundaries With Gulf of Mexico Find|last=Fred Pals and Eduard Gismatullin|date=2009-09-03|work=Bloomberg|access-date=2009-09-03}} BP's previous giant find (2006) {{convert|40|mi|abbr=on}} away.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2009/09/03/bp-make-massive-oil-field-find-in-mexico-86908-21644189/|title=BP make massive oil field find in Mexico|date=2009-09-03 | work=The Scottish Daily Record|access-date=2009-09-03}} The commercial prospects of the field have not yet been evaluated.
Discovery
BP acquired the Outer Continental Shelf lease of Keathley Canyon block 102 reference G25782, NOAA station 42872,{{cite web | author=National Data Buoy Cente | url=http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42872 | title=Data for Station 42872 - Deepwater Horizon - Keathley Canyon 102 | publisher=US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date=2009-09-03 | archive-date=2009-09-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912082508/http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42872 | url-status=dead }} on October 22, 2003, in Phase 2 of the Western Gulf of Mexico (WGOM/GOM) Sale 187.{{cite web |url=http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/187/187ph2ltr.pdf |title=Leasing activities information, Lease sale 187 WGOM statistics |format=PDF |date=2003-11-10 |publisher=US Minerals Management Service |access-date=2009-09-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919191127/http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/187/187ph2ltr.pdf |archive-date=2009-09-19 }} Lower Tertiary rock formations are some of the oldest and most technically challenging offshore rock formations currently drilled for oil, dating to between 23 and 66 million years ago.{{cite web|url=http://www.halliburton.com/ps/default.aspx?navid=1375&pageid=3339 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100518225249/http://www.halliburton.com/ps/default.aspx?navid=1375&pageid=3339 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-05-18 |title=Lower Tertiary |publisher=Halliburton |access-date=2009-09-05 }} The plan of exploration was filed in June 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.subseaiq.com/data/Project.aspx?project_id=526&field_Id=452|title=Status updates for offshore field development projects: Tiber field|publisher=SubseaIQ|access-date=2009-09-03|archive-date=2011-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716161440/http://www.subseaiq.com/(S(ksp2vsiwkw4lveqha0yqp245))/data/Project.aspx?project_id=526&field_Id=452|url-status=dead}}
Tiber was initially drilled by Transocean's fifth-generation dynamic positioned semi-submersible oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, with exploratory drilling commencing around March 2009, slightly delayed from the planned date of September 2008. Much of the deeper gulf reserves are buried under salt accumulations thousands of feet thick, which present a problem for seismic exploration. BP had previously developed exploration techniques to bypass this difficulty. Oil was located at "multiple levels".{{cite news|last=Mufson|first=Steven|title=BP Finds 'Giant' Oil Source Deep Under Gulf of Mexico|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203560.html|access-date=2010-06-18|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2009-09-03}} The field was announced on September 2, 2009, and BP shares rose 3.7 percent on the news.{{cite news| work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8233504.stm|date=2009-09-02|title=BP in 'giant' new oil discovery|access-date=2010-05-01}} With Tiber joining at least ten other successful Lower Tertiary explorations in the area, analysts viewed the announcement as a sign for optimism, and a harbinger of renewed interest in, and production from, the offshore Gulf of Mexico.{{cite news|last=Carroll|first=Joe|title=BP's 'Giant' Find May Revive U.S. Gulf Exploration (Update1)|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=acUReyC7MsfA|access-date=2010-06-18|newspaper=Bloomberg|date=2009-09-03}}
Exploration on hold
Following the April 2010 destruction of the Deepwater Horizon while drilling the Macondo well, and the resulting oil spill, all appraisal activities at 33 wells under exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, including Tiber, were placed on hold.{{cite magazine| first1=Alison | last1 = Fitzgerald | author-link = Alison Kodjak | first2 = Lorraine | last2 =Woellert|title=BP Credibility Questions Grow as U.S. Lawmakers Press Inquiry|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-28/bp-credibility-questions-grow-as-u-s-lawmakers-press-inquiry.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602030136/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-28/bp-credibility-questions-grow-as-u-s-lawmakers-press-inquiry.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 2, 2010|access-date=2010-06-15|magazine=Bloomberg BusinessWeek|date=2010-05-28}} At least two rigs that might otherwise have been used for developing Tiber were used to drill the relief wells for the ruptured well.{{cite magazine|last=Cox|first=Tony|title=Conoco Says Tiber Appraisal to Be Affected by Spill (Update4)|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-12/conoco-says-tiber-appraisal-to-be-affected-by-spill-update4-.html|access-date=2010-06-15|magazine=Bloomberg BusinessWeek|date=2010-05-12}}{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}