EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION

PetroSA's Exploration and Product division (E&P) based in Cape Town, is responsible for exploration, production of oil and gas in several blocks offshore South Africa as well as the company's participation in international upstream petroleum ventures.
The divisions operates the F-A platform, the E-M subsea extension, the Orca floating production, storage and offloading facility (FPSO) for the Oribi and Oryx fields, the Orca related Knock Dee storage/shuttle tanker, all in Block 9 of the Bredasdorp Basin.
E&P also provides logistical services such as supply boats and helicopter services from its supply base in Mossel Bay for PetroSA operations as well as for other oil companies operating in South Africa.
International interests under the control of the division are farm-ins on, the Themis Marin and Iris Marin Blocks in Gabon. Themis Marin and Iris Marin both lie in the profilic southern Gabon Basin which contains over 1.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil, accounting for approximately half of the known reserves in Gabon.

GAS AND CONDENSATE PRODUCTION

Gas and condensate production takes place at the The F-A platform, situated 100 km south of Mossel Bay, there are seven F-A wells drilled directly from the platform, three wells on the F-AH and F-AR satellite fields, three wells on the E-M field and one each on the smaller satellite fields E-H, E-BF, F-AD and F-BE.
The gas and associated condensate are prodUced from a depthorbetween 150Um and 2 800 m below the seabed.
Production on the F-A field commenced in March 1992. F-AH and F-AR, which are situated respectively 16 km and 8 km north-west of the F-A platform, were brought into production in May 1997.
In 2000, the E-M field as well as the smaller fields in its vicinity were commissioned to supplement the F-A reserves. They are tied back to the F-A platform by a 50 km, 18 inch pipeline and a 3- inch MEG supply line. The E-M wells are controlled via radio link from the F-A platform by a unique production buoy located at the centre of the EM wells.
Gas and associated condensate and water from all the wells are separated and processed on the FA platform. Processed gas and condensate are despatched to the onshore plant through dedicated pipelines; 450 mm (18 inch) for the gas and 200 rnm (8 inch) for the condensate.

OIL PRODUCTION

The oil is produced utilising the Orca, a semi-submersible drilling rig, which has been .converted to a production, storage and off-loading vessel (FPSO). It is drilled off the wells at Oribi and Oryx, these w~lls are linked to the Orca by separate flow lines. Once processed on the Orca, the oil is pumped via a catenary anchored leg-mooring (CALM) buoy into the Knock Dee storage and shuttle tanker. When the Knock Dee is full, it disconnects from the CALM buoy and sails to a port to discharge its cargo as per the buyers' instructions.
On its return, the Knock Dee reconnects to the CALM buoy and produced oil is then rerouted from the Orca to the tanker. This includes oil that was stored temporarily in the legs of the Orca, which has been modified to store up to 30 000 barrels of crude in its legs. The shuttle process occurs on average six to seven times per year.
The Oribi oil field, 140 km south-west of Mossel Bay, began production from the floating production facility, the Orca, in May 1997.
The Oryx field was tied back to Orca in May 2000. This ensured that the total daily production from the Orca, which operates in water 120 metres deep, is 25 OOQbarrels per day. Recoverable reserves from the fields have been estimated at 2.2 million barrels in total.
Reservoirs on the Oribi and Oryx fields areslmifar in type, age and produces good qua.lity 42 gravity (420 API) light oil. The oi! is distinguished by its low sulphur content. The entire crude oil production is supplied to the South African oil refining industry.