The Perisai Kamelia FPSO operates at the Kamelia field in the North Malay Basin. Credit: Emas.
Wah Seong will provide anti-corrosion coating for the 250km network of pipes. Credit: EA Technique.
EA Technique was contracted to supply the FSO for the North Malay Basin project. Credit: Wah Seong.

The North Malay Basin (NMB) Integrated Gas Development project involves the development of nine gas fields approximately 300km offshore Peninsular Malaysia. These fields consist of Bergading, Bunga Dahlia, Teratai, Gajah, Melati, Kamelia, Zetung, Anggerik and Kesumba, which are located in three blocks, namely PM302, PM325 and PM326B.

The three blocks are equally owned by Petronas Carigali, Hess Exploration and Production Malaysia and operated by the latter.

The project is being developed in two phases, with phase one including the early production system (EPS) and the full field development (FFD) project. First gas under the EPS stage was achieved in October 2013 while production from the FFD project began in July 2017. Net production from the EPS phase averaged 40 million cubic feet (Mcf) a day in 2014 and the FFD phase was expected to increase the net production to approximately 165Mcf a day.

The initial production at the Zetung field was achieved in December 2019, followed by the Anggerik field in September 2020. Both the fields are under phase two of the North Malay Basin (NMB) Integrated Gas Development project.

The annual net sales from North Malay is estimated at approximately 50Bcf billion cubic feet (Bcf) each year from the full-field development through 2024.

The project aims at commercialising 1.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas reserves from the three blocks. The total cost of the Malaysian offshore project development is estimated to be $5.2bn.

Early production system and full field development details

The EPS phase involved the development of the Kamelia field, which included the installation of the host platform, the leased Perisai Kamelia (formerly Lewek Arunothai) floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel and the Kamelia-A wellhead platform (WHP).

FPSO Perisai Kamelia is jointly owned by EOC and Larizz Petroleum Services. The $272.1m three-year FPSO chartering contract is extendable by three more years. Converted in 2008, the FPSO has a storage capacity of 600,000 barrels, provides accommodation facilities for 60 people and is moored using an external cantilever turret mooring system.

The FFD phase involves the installation of a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel, the Bergading central processing platform (CPP) and the Bergading C, Bergading D and Kesumba WHPs.

The FFD phase also involves the construction of a new gas gathering, processing and transportation hub 300km of pipeline and a new onshore slug catcher comprising an acid gas removal system that integrates membrane technology for acid gas removal, the first of its kind to be used onshore.

NMB phase two

Phase two of the NMB Integrated Gas Development project includes a Zetung conventional WHP, an Anggerik minimal facilities WHP, an in-line-tee (ILT), and a 12in x 20km carbon steel pipeline to the Kesumba WHP.

The full well stream (FWS) from the three fields will be processed at the Bergading CPP prior to the export of gas to the onshore Terengganu Gas Terminal (TGAST) and condensate export through the Mekar Bergading floating storage and offloading (FSO).

Contractors involved

The engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) of the Kamelia-A WHP was performed by Kencana HL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad (SapuraKencana), under an MYR135.8m (approximately $36.8m) contract.