BSEE Concludes Shell Vito Platform Pre-Production Inspection

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspectors have concluded a three-day pre-production inspection on Vito, Shell’s new 40,000-ton semi-submersible platform. The facility is slated to begin operation soon in the Gulf of Mexico.

BSEE conducted a pre-production inspection of the Shell platform Vito at Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas, from May 10 to May 12, 2022.

The pre-production inspection team verifies that all safety equipment, components, and production processes aboard the structure have been constructed as planned, meet industry standards, and comply with federal regulations. BSEE’s on-site inspection is one of the steps required to clear the platform for sailing to its planned destination in the Gulf of Mexico, about 150 miles south of New Orleans, where it will be installed at a water depth of approximately 4,000 feet.

The inspection was conducted by a team of 10 inspectors and engineers divided into two units, each simultaneously inspecting different areas of the facility for three consecutive days.

“These regulatory inspections are critical to helping ensure that the platform meets all applicable safety rules, environmental compliance requirements, and relevant regulations and practices,” said Anthony Pizza, Production Operations Section Chief of the New Orleans District Office, Gulf of Mexico Regional Office. “Any discrepancies found will be addressed by Shell before operations begin.”

According to Shell, the Vito platform is expected to begin production in late 2022 or early 2023 and produce up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day.

Vito is a Shell-operated deepwater development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico sanctioned back in April 2018. It lies in four blocks in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico and will be developed with eight subsea wells with deep (18,000 feet) in-well gas lift. Sembcorp Marine was selected to build and integrate the hull, topsides, and living quarters of the Vito semi-submersible unit in May 2018.

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