McDermott completes EPCIC for Shell’s Whale project

HOUSTON, March 6, 2025 – McDermott has completed engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning (EPCIC) activities in the Gulf of Mexico for Shell, enabling oil production at its Whale development, the company said on Thursday.

Shell launched production from its Whale floating production facility in January.

The Whale deepwater project is under development by Shell Offshore (60%, operator) and Chevron (40%).

The project has an estimated peak production of 100,000 boepd and recoverable resource volume of 480 million boe.

Awarded in 2021 and completed last month, the EPCIC project utilised McDermott’s marine assets, including its vessels North Ocean 102 and the newly upgraded Amazon, to perform complex pipelay operations in water depths nearing 2,800 metres. The scope encompassed the installation of around 50 kilometres of pipeline and 15 kilometres of umbilicals, linking five subsea drill centres to the new Whale floating production platform.

“The completion of the Whale project demonstrates the power of collaboration, engineering expertise, and ingenuity,” McDermott’s senior vice-president, subsea and floating facilities, Mahesh Swaminathan, said.

“Our relationship with Shell is one marked by trust, a focus on operational excellence, and solution-oriented project delivery. Together, we overcame challenges and made history with the debut of the Amazon in the Gulf of Mexico, highlighting its strategic value for subsea field developments in ultra-deepwater environments.”

Designed for complex offshore operations, the Amazon introduced an advanced ultra-deepwater pipelay system with a high degree of automation. In a Gulf of Mexico first, it installed five 3,350-metre-long steel catenary risers, underscoring the vessel’s high top tension capacity and marking a significant milestone for subsea infrastructure projects.

Located about 320 kilometres southwest of Houston, the Shell Whale development features a semi-submersible production platform capable of remote operations and monitoring of nearly every aspect of the facility, representing a significant advancement in sustainable, high-efficiency energy production.

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