Milestones
Milestone Category |
Geological data collection events |
License and ownership events |
Government, legal and regulatory events |
Production facilities construction and installation events |
Field development events |
The following table provides a sequential list of events that were important to the discovery and development of the Hibernia oilfield. The events are colour-coded according to the categories listed above.
Hibernia Development Milestone |
date |
| First scientific report on geological samples from the Grand Banks | |
| First geophysical survey (refraction seismic) on the Grand Banks | |
| First
direct geological investigation of Grand Banks bedrock (three dives on the Virgin Rocks by H.D. Lilly of Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador using scuba) |
|
| Mobil Oil Canada (MOCAN) acquired its original federal Exploratory Permits on the Grand Banks | |
| First
well spudded on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland & Labrador (Pan Am Tors Cove D-52) |
|
| Completed first industry seismic data acquisition program on Mobil's northern Grand Banks acreage | |
| Mobil Oil Canada filed for additional federal Exploratory Permits in slightly deeper water east of its existing acreage on the Grand Banks | |
| Gulf and Mobil enter an acreage exchange agreement which yields a 25% share of a portion of MOCAN's Grand Banks acreage to Gulf | |
| First
well spudded in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin (Amoco Imperial Murre G-67) |
|
| First
flow of oil in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin (268 barrels oil per day, 310 API gravity, 200 mcf/d gas from Mobil Gulf Adolphus 2K-41, the 4th well in Jeanne d'Arc Basin and 2nd well drilled offshore Newfoundland & Labrador by Mobil and Gulf) |
|
| The Energy Resources Branch of Newfoundland & Labrador's Department of Mines and Energy was established | |
| First
penetration of prolific Upper Jurassic source rock (Egret Member of the Rankin Formation drilled at Amoco Imperial Skelly Egret K-36, the 5th well in Jeanne d'Arc Basin) |
|
| End of
pre-Hibernia drilling in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin (Mobil Gulf Adolphus D-50) |
|
| Mobil and Gulf negotiated four Special Renewal Permits (SRPs) on their expiring exploration permits | |
| Suncor exercised its option to acquire a 25% working interest in the four SRP areas, leaving MOCAN with 56.25% and Gulf with 18.75% | |
| Chevron and Columbia Gas farmed into portions of two SRPs that covered the Hibernia structure and surrounding areas. Resultant interests in the Chevron farmout block were MOCAN 28.125%, Gulf 25%, Suncor 25%, Chevron 16.40625% and Columbia Gas 5.46875%. | |
| Discovery
well Chevron et al. Hibernia P-15 spudded (45th well drilled in Grand Banks region, 10th well drilled in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin) |
|
| First
flow of oil on drillstem test from Hibernia P-15 (800 BOPD, 320 API and 0.2 Mmcf/d gas on openhole test of Upper Jurassic sandstones) |
|
| First
delineation well spud on the Hibernia discovery (Hibernia O-35) |
|
| The National Energy Program was enacted to encourage Canadian Ownership of petroleum resources and exploration of the frontiers. | |
| The only dry
hole at Hibernia was drilled (Hibernia G-55) |
|
| First
Hibernia 3D seismic survey completed (first 3D survey offshore Eastern Canada) |
|
| Ocean Ranger semisubmersible capsized with all 84 crew lost | 15-Feb-1982 |
| The Canada Oil & Gas Act was promulgated as part of the National Energy Program | |
| The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was opened for signature. | |
| MOCAN and the Canada Oil and gas Lands Administration (COGLA) negotiated work obligations for their new Exploration agreements. | |
| Canadian Supreme Court rules that Canada has the right to explore and exploit the subsea resources of the continental shelf of Newfoundland & Labrador and that the federal government had legislative jurisdiction to make laws in relation to hydrocarbon exploration and development. | |
| Completion
of first delineation drilling program on Hibernia oilfield (Mobil et al. Hibernia C-96) |
|
| Atlantic Accord agreement signed by Canadian and Newfoundland & Labrador governments establishing management bodies (C-NOPB & C-NSOPB) and regulatory regime for the Atlantic offshore area | 11-Feb-1985 |
| The C-NOPB declared the Hibernia oilfield to be a Significant Discovery | |
| Completed reprocessing and re-interpretation of 1980/81 Hibernia 3D seismic survey | 31-Dec-1985 |
| Hibernia Development Plan and Hibernia Benefits Plan approved the the C-NOPB and Federal and Provincial ministers. | |
| Statement of Principles signed by the federal government, the government of Newfoundland & Labrador & Labrador, and the project owners | |
| Columbia Gas sold its share in the Hibernia oilfield to Chevron | |
| The Hibernia Management and Development Company was created to act as the operating company for the Hibernia oil and gas field | |
| The C-NOPB declared the Hibernia oilfield to be a Commercial Discovery | |
| The C-NOPB issued a 25 year production license for the Hibernia oilfield | |
| HMDC submitted the Hibernia Development Plan Update to the C-NOPB | |
| Hibernia fiscal regime was finalized | Sep-1990 |
| Construction of the camp and other components of the Bull Arm site began | Oct-1990 |
| Second Hibernia 3D seismic survey completed | 5-Oct-1991 |
| Gulf Canada Resources announced its intention to withdraw from the Hibernia project | |
| Drydock construction of the GBS commenced at Bull Arm | |
| PASSB commenced fabrication of the M-20 Wellhead Module at Bull Arm | |
| Gulf's 25% share assumed by the Government of Canada (8.5%), Murphy Oil (6.5%) and Mobil and Chevron (5% each) | |
| Development plan ammendment submitted to the C-NOPB | |
| Suncor and StatoilHydro Canada Ltd conclude agreements that gave StatoilHydro a 5% interest in the Hibernia oilfield among other assets | |
| Hibernia Production Topsides and Gravity Base Structure mated | |
| Hibernia platform installed on the seabed at the Hibernia field | |
| Spud
first development well (Hibernia B-16 1) |
|
| First oil production | |
| Canadian record flow rate set | |
| First oil tanker load completed | |
| Water injection commences on B-16 7 | 27-May-1998 |
| Completed reprocessing of 1991 3D survey | 7-Aug-1998 |
| Whiffen Head transshipment terminal receives first shipment of Hibernia crude. | |
| Gas injection commences on B-16 10 | 26-Jan-1999 |
| Completed
longest reach well in Canada (Hibernia B-16 11, 8485 m measured length, surpassing records set by Hibernia B-16 5 and B-16 10Z) |
|
| HMDC increased annual oil production limit from 49.5 million barrels to 66 million barrels | 18-Oct-2000 |
| HMDC's Development Plan approved for the AA Block from the Gravity Base Structure | 2-Sep-2009 |
| On March 12, 2009 a Cougar helicopter transporting offshore workers to the Grand Banks crashed; tragically 17 workers died and one worker was injured. | 12-Mar-2009 |
| The OPA2 well reached total depth of 10,122 metres. The final total depth well makes it the longest well in Canada and in the top 10 longest wells in North America. | 3-Apr-2010 |