The $600 million first phase calls for the drilling of six production wells and the installation of flowlines to a permanently moored floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The field, which contains an estimated 120 million barrels of oil, is expected to produce 75,000 barrels a day (b/d) when it comes on stream in March 2006.

Norway's Bergesenhas been awarded a service agreement to provide and operate the FPSO facility, which will have storage capacity of 1.6 million barrels. The US' FMCTechnologieswill provide the subsea hardware. Smedvig, also of Norway, and the UK's StenaDrillingwill conduct the drilling. Woodside expects to award contracts to supply and install subsea flowlines, risers and umbilicals by the end of June.

Woodside is lead operator on the concession, with a 53.8 per cent interest. The other members of the consortium are HardmanResourcesand RocOil, both of Australia, with 33 per cent and 4 per cent respectively, and the UK's PremierOil, which has a 9 per cent stake (MEED 13:2:04).