Trendsetter Vulcan Offshore deploys tethered BOP to enable shallow-water workover from deepwater DP rig

Trendsetter Vulcan Offshore (TVO) deployed its Hercules tethered blowout preventer (TBOP) system to return a shut-in well in the northwestern US Gulf to production, allowing a deepwater dynamically positioned rig to safely execute a workover in shallow water.

The Hercules TBOP system was developed to allow a deepwater floater equipped with a dynamic positioning (DP) system to operate in shallow-water environments, where watch circles are more restrictive and moored rigs are typically required for well intervention work.

The unnamed operator, which had previously used the Hercules TBOP on another project, engaged TVO during the well planning stage and outlined its intention to deploy a DP rig already under a long-term deepwater contract rather than mobilize a separate moored rig to the site. TVO engineers modified the BOP configuration to meet the site-specific requirements, designing and customizing the system and conducting in-situ load testing before installation.