The Manatee Project is an offshore undeveloped conventional gas field located off the east coast of Trinidad and Tobago.
The gas field is 100% operated by Shell Trinidad and Tobago, a subsidiary of Shell, and owned by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT).
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The project is one of the largest natural reserves in Trinidad and Tobago that has been discovered to date.
Previously, it was a part of the Loran-Manatee Cross-Border Field located between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Loran Field lies in the portion of the cross-border field in the waters of Venezuela and Manatee lies represents the part of the cross-border field in Trinidad and Tobago.
The GORTT and the Government of Venezuela (GOVEN) signed a Framework Treaty in 2007 which covered all cross-border fields.
In August 2010, the GORTT and the Bolivarian GOVEN signed a Unitization Agreement to exploit and develop the hydrocarbon reservoirs of the Loran-Manatee Field.
Both governments rescinded the agreement by signing a Government-to-Government Agreement in October 2019.
Shell Trinidad and Tobago and GORTT signed an agreement in August 2019 as per which Shell was asked to continue appraisal and pre-sanction activities for the development of the field.
The agreement was cancelled due to a lack of commitment regarding the investment in the cross-border field. The countries decided to independently develop their respective shares of the Loran-Manatee Field in February 2020.
A Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for Manatee was also signed between Shell Trinidad and Tobago, Shell Trinidad and Tobago Resources SRL and GORTT in November 2021 for 25 years.
Once operational, the project will fulfil the natural gas demands of Trinidad and Tobago and the world.
Manatee Project Location Details
The Manatee Gas Field is located within the sub-Block 6D (Sub-Block 6D Manatee PSC) in the East Coast Marine Area (ECMA) of Trinidad and Tobago.
ECMA is one of the most prolific gas-producing areas of Trinidad and Tobago. The sub-Block 6D is an area of the existing Block 6 PSC contracted to Shell.
The project is located in water depths of approximately 91m (299 feet).
Manatee Project Details
The Loran-Manatee Field was appraised by four wells after the discovery in 1983. The development of the Manatee Project will comprise a wellhead platform, development wells, an export pipeline, and a midstream pipeline.
A Normally Unattended Installation Platform (NUIP) will be installed in the ECMA area. The platform will be connected to the eight development wells.
The eight development wells will be connected to the Beachfield Gas Processing Facility via a 110km long 32-inch pipeline.
The onshore Beachfield Gas Processing Facility is operated by Shell.
The processing facility will connect the Atlantic Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility and the National Gas Grid of Trinidad and Tobago via the same export pipeline.
From the wells, the platform will transport gas to the Beachfield Gas Processing Facility via the 32-inch pipeline and then exported to the Atlantic LNG Facility.
The LNG facility will export the gas to the national grid of Trinidad and Tobago for use in the domestic gas market. The gas from this project will act as a backfill to the LNG Facility.
Shell made the Final Investment Decision (FID) of the project in July 2024. The project is slated to commence production in 2027.
Once operational, the Manatee Project is expected to reach peak production of approximately 104,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) or 604 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d).
Manatee Project Contractors
Shell Trinidad and Tobago awarded a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) contract to McDermott in March 2023 for the Manatee Project.
The contract scope includes comprehensive FEED services for the wellhead platform, export pipeline system, shore approach, midstream pipeline, and onshore control room.
The engineering and execution planning will be conducted in Houston with support from Chennai (India), Altamira (Mexico), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
In November 2023, McDermott received a limited notice for the project’s Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) contract from Shell Trinidad and Tobago.
The contract scope includes design, procurement, fabrication, transportation, installation, and commissioning of offshore and onshore gas pipelines and wellhead platform.
