Shell celebrates 40 years of success in global Deepwater Development

Kota Kinabalu - This year Shell celebrates its success in being a global Deepwater pioneer. In 1978 Shell installed the Cognac platform in a world record depth (1,025 ft) in the US Gulf of Mexico, and today has developments in up to 9,500 ft of waters.

The story began in the 1970s when the company pioneered deep-water exploration and production activities in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then the company has had a continued history of successfully developing deep-water resources in other parts of the world pushing the technology and depth with each successive development.

In Malaysia, Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Ltd (SSPC) is the operator of Shell’s two deep-water assets, Gumusut-Kakap and Malikai. Commissioned in 2014 and 2016 respectively, the two deep-water hubs located offshore Sabah are a marvel in their engineering designs; Gumusut-Kakap is a semi-submersible floating production system and Malikai is the country and the region’s first tension-leg platform.

“Both Gumusut-Kakap and Malikai contribute significantly to the nation’s oil and gas production. Advanced technologies and an innovative approach have proven essential to safely and reliably produce hydrocarbons from deep beneath the ocean” explains Prithipal Singh, General Manager of Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Ltd.

Last year, Malikai was awarded the Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM)’s highest honour for its design and engineering. This is the first time in three decades that the “IEM Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award” was awarded to an oil and gas company. Internally within Shell, Sabah Deepwater Asset won the coveted ‘Asset of the Year’ award, competing against all of Shell’s upstream assets globally. This award is a testament to the safety, reliability, and proven track record that the team in Malaysia has become known for.

Shell with its long history in Malaysia, prides itself in giving back to the communities where it operates. The company continuously embarks on social investment programmes in the country, focusing on road safety, capacity-building and community development.

“Recently, we embarked on a project to provide electricity to a remote village in Pensiangan via our ‘Access to Energy’ programme. In addition to the funding, some of our staff also volunteered in the mini-hydro/solar project to provide electricity. It was rewarding to see that young students do not need to depend on oil lamps to do homework anymore” added Prithipal.

“Besides that, we are also working with the state’s premier university, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to increase the employability of undergraduates by helping them develop the right skills to compete in today’s job market” he concludes.

SSPC also announced the commencement of Phase 2 of the Gumusut-Kakap development which involves the drilling of additional subsea wells. The project is expected to complete towards the end of 2019.

To commemorate the 40^th anniversary, SSPC hosted a dinner event at the The Hilton, attended by staff, contractors and business partners. Guest of Honour was YB Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment for Sabah.

Shell would like to thank PETRONAS and all its partners for their support and positive contributions to date.

For further information on Shell’s deep-water initiatives, visit https://www.shell.com.my/energy-and-innovation/deep-water.html

Note to Editor:

The Gumusut-Kakap project is a joint venture between Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Limited, ConocoPhillips Sabah Ltd, PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd, Murphy Sabah Oil Co. Ltd, PT and Pertamina Malaysia Explorasi Produksi.

SSPC is the operator for Malikai in a joint venture with ConocoPhillips Sabah Ltd and PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd.

About Shell – www.shell.com.my

Shell is a global leader in power, energy, and gas technology and is working to meet increasing energy demand and supply challenges by delivering smarter products and cleaner energy, infrastructure, and by developing new energy sources while addressing the impact on the environment. Malaysia is one of Shell’s heartlands. The history of Royal Dutch Shell in Malaysia started more than 125 years ago. Shell currently has a strong market presence in the upstream and downstream sector in Malaysia.

For further Media Enquiries, please contact:

Prema Jayabalan

Senior Manager, Media Relation & Issues Management, Shell Malaysia

Email: prema.jayabalan@shell.com