Manatee is a conventional gas field being developed offshore Trinidad and Tobago’s East Coast Marine Area (ECMA).
Shell holds a 100% working interest in the sub-block 6D production sharing contract (PSC), which contains the field, and operates the asset through its subsidiary, Shell Trinidad and Tobago.
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A final investment decision on the project was made in July 2024.
Manatee is intended to provide backfill gas for the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago’s (NGC) Atlantic liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, with first production targeted for 2027.
At plateau, the field is expected to deliver about 104,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or roughly 604 million standard cubic feet per day (mcf/d). It is anticipated to have an operating life of around 13 years.
The development will strengthen Shell’s competitive position in integrated gas, building on ongoing activities at the ECMA, one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most productive gas provinces.
Manatee gas field location and reservoir details
The field lies in the south‑western part of the ECMA, around 100km offshore the east coast of Trinidad, in average water depths of around 105m (340ft).
The ECMA already includes Shell’s largest domestic gas fields: Dolphin, Starfish, Bounty and Endeavour.
Reservoir depths range between 2,000ft and 4,500ft true vertical depth subsea, with pressures of approximately 980 pounds per square inch (psi) to 2,100psi.
The wider Loran-Manatee complex is estimated to contain 10.04 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, of which around 2.71tcf is attributed to the Manatee portion.
Development background
Discovered in 1983, the Loran-Manatee field was subsequently appraised by four wells. Loran designated the Venezuelan sector of the resource, while Manatee referred to the Trinidad and Tobago segment.
In 2007, the governments of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela signed a framework treaty governing cross‑border fields, followed by a 2010 Unitisation Agreement covering Loran–Manatee.
The Unitisation Agreement was terminated in 2019 and replaced by a new intergovernmental arrangement allowing each country to develop its allocated share independently.
In November 2021, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries and Shell Trinidad and Tobago signed a PSC for Manatee, setting the terms to commence and advance the development of the offshore field.
The PSC runs for 25 years and defines the contractor’s financial obligations including a $15m signature bonus. It also stipulates that the domestic gas will be sold through the NGC, with export volumes handled via the NGC’s Atlantic LNG facilities.
In September 2023, the NGC and Shell amended their domestic gas sales contract to include Manatee volumes once the project is fully approved.
Under the revised sales terms, the NGC may purchase gas for medium‑term supply to downstream customers, with receipt and processing undertaken at Shell’s Beachfield facility.
In the same month, Shell applied to the Environmental Management Authority for a certificate of environmental clearance.
Manatee gas field development details
The development plan for the Manatee gas field comprises the drilling of eight horizontal open‑hole, gravel‑packed development wells drilled by a Class 1 jack‑up rig, with each well completed in a single zone.
The wells will be tied back to a normally unmanned offshore platform in the ECMA. Remotely operated from shore by fibre‑optic cable, the platform will have a 12‑slot well bay and a helideck.
The platform will undertake limited processing including fluid separation, metering of gas and condensate, and treatment of produced water.
Production will be exported through a 110km, 32in pipeline, including a 3km onshore section, to the onshore Beachfield gas processing plant owned by NGC, for onward export to Atlantic LNG and for domestic supply via the NGC.
Fabrication of the platform topsides began in July 2024, with the first steel cut at McDermott’s Altamira yard in Mexico.
A second steel‑cutting ceremony was held in November 2024 at Trinidad Offshore Fabricators’ (TOFCO) yard in the La Brea Industrial Estate, launching the project’s local fabrication phase. Jacket and pile fabrication followed in December.
Onshore facilities
The Beachfield facility will be upgraded to increase throughput capacity to one billion cubic feet per day, including a new Manatee gas separator and metering skids, under the Beachfield Manatee Upgrade (BMU) project.
Additional downstream lines will be installed to connect to nearby networks, primarily the Cross Island Pipeline, which feeds the domestic system for sales and onward transport.
Contractors involved
McDermott won the front‑end engineering design (FEED) contract in March 2023, covering the wellhead platform, export pipeline system, shore approach, midstream pipeline and an onshore control room.
After completing the FEED, McDermott was awarded the engineering, procurement, construction and installation and hook‑up and commissioning contract in August 2024.
TOFCO is handling the local fabrication works of the platform.
KBR secured an engineering and procurement services contract in October 2024 for the BMU project, building on its earlier FEED work as part of Shell’s integrated development team.
EnerMech was awarded a pipeline pre‑commissioning contract by McDermott in October 2025 to support the Manatee gas development.
ASCO Group, a logistics company, performed heavy-lift operations for the project’s 200t gas separator.
Oliver Twinsafe, a pipeline valve supplier, is supplying various types of valves for the project.
AdON Group, an engineering and construction services provider, partnered with Massy Wood and Heritage Petroleum to carry out a 480V conductor relocation as part of the BMU project.