The Ritz Herald
Dover is a planned subsea tieback to Appomattox, a Shell-operated production hub in the US Gulf of Mexico. © Shell Offshore Inc.
Business and Money

Dover Underscores Shell’s Long-Term Commitment to the US Gulf of Mexico


Originally discovered in 2018, Dover is located within Mississippi Canyon, approximately 170 miles offshore southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana in about 7,500 feet of water

Published on March 16, 2023

Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Shell plc (Shell), announced the Final Investment Decision (FID) for Dover, a planned subsea tieback to the Shell-operated Appomattox production hub in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Dover is expected to start production in late 2024-early 2025 and produce up to 21,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) at peak rates.

“Shell is a pioneer in the Norphlet reservoir with Appomattox, and we are building on our leading position in the reservoir with Dover,” said Paul Goodfellow, Shell’s Executive Vice President for Deepwater. “Last year we took FID on Rydberg, another subsea tieback to Appomattox, and Dover gives us an opportunity to add to our base in this prolific basin.”

The investment at Dover underscores Shell’s long-term commitment to the US Gulf of Mexico, where production has among the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity in the world for producing oil.

Shell’s Powering Progress strategy to thrive through the energy transition includes increasing investment in lower-carbon energy solutions, while continuing to pursue the most energy-efficient and highest-return Upstream investments to supply safe, secure energy supplies today and for decades to come.

  • Originally discovered in 2018, Dover is located within Mississippi Canyon, approximately 170 miles offshore southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana in about 7,500 feet of water.
  • Shell has 100% working interest in Dover.
  • The development concept for Dover is a subsea tieback to the Shell-operated Appomattox production hub, with two production wells produced through a 17.5-mile flowline and riser.
  • Shell operates Appomattox with a 79% working interest, with CNOOC controlling the remaining 21%.
  • Dover is expected to produce up to 21,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) at peak rates.
  • The reference to our U.S. Gulf of Mexico production having among the lowest GHG intensity in the world is a comparison among other IOGP oil-and gas-producing members.
  • Shell is the leading operator in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas production.
  • In addition to operations in Brazil and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Shell’s deep-water portfolio includes our Argentina Shales organization and frontier exploration opportunities in Mexico, Suriname, Sao Tome & Principe, Argentina and Namibia.
Deputy Editor