In the past 10 years developments in technology and the opening up of new frontiers, combined with a demand to move into greater water depths have resulted in considerable increase in the use of floating facilities for offshore oil production. Terra Nova will be the first FPSO to operate in North American waters and the first to operate in a harsh North Atlantic environment frequented by sea ice and icebergs. Along with the presence of sea ice, the design and development of Terra Nova has faced a number of other special considerations - shallow water, extreme air and water temperatures, seasonal fog, and heavy seas. To meet the challenges posed by a harsh environment, the Terra Nova FPSO has been designed using the lessons learned by other FPSO developments in somewhat similar harsh environments, using proven technology, and incorporating a number of unique features to ensure a safe, reliable, operable and economical operation.
The Terra Nova oilfield is located approximately 350 km (220 miles) east-southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland, 35 km (22 miles) southeast of the Hibernia oilfield in a water depth of 90 to 100 m (295–330 ft.). Figure 1 shows the field location. The total recoverable oil reserves in the field are estimated by the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NOPB) to be some 64×106 m a (400 million barrels). The top of the reservoir is located 3,200 m (10,500 feet) below the seafloor. The field is made up of three geological fault blocks: the Graben, the East Flank and Far East as shown in Figure 2. Only the Graben and East Flank blocks have been delineated. Twenty-four wells are proposed for Graben and East Flank: 14 producers, 7 water injection and 3 gas injectors.
