Houston: Shell has agreed a three-year extension of its contract with Helix Energy Solutions for the use of Helix’s Q4000 vessel for well intervention services in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The Q4000 is a unique multi-purpose oil field construction and intervention vessel which entered service in the Gulf of Mexico in 2002. It has a column-stabilised semi-submersible design, significant deck load capacity and a high transit speed of 12 knots. It provides a platform for several tasks, including subsea completion, decommissioning and coiled tubing deployment.
Helix has been providing well intervention services to Shell since 2011, using the Q4000 semisubmersible under a master service agreement.
“Given the current state of the oil and gas markets, we view this contract as a step forward in further executing our business strategy,” commented Helix president and ceo, Owen Kratz.
The latest three-year contract will run through the end of 2017.