Shell Launches Whale Deepwater Platform Vessel in Gulf of Mexico:
Setting New Standards for Deepwater Drilling
This past March, Shell Oil and Gas officially unveiled its latest deepwater innovation, the Whale floating production facility. Located about 200 miles south of Houston in the Alaminos Canyon Block 773, the Whale now pumps oil from under over 8,600 feet of water, making it one of the deepest vessels and production platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Discovered in 2017 and developed in partnership with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (40% non-operating interest), the Whale project is a 60/40 joint venture led by Shell Offshore Inc. (60% operating interest). The vessel is expected to deliver up to 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at peak, and taps into estimated recoverable resources of 480 million barrels.
“[The] Whale demonstrates our focus on driving more value with less emissions from our Upstream business, as we deliver the energy people need today,” said Zoë Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director.
Shell has highlighted the Whale’s cutting-edge design efficiency. Shell replicated 99% of the hull design and 80% of the topsides from its previously successful Vito platform in the greater Mars Corridor, significantly streamlining construction time and cost. This approach helped Shell pump the oilfield just 7.5 years after the field was discovered—even despite a one-year delay due to COVID-19 cash preservation measures.
The semi-submersible production vessel is connected to 15 subsea wells through a robust network of underwater infrastructure. But beyond its size and capacity, Shell has noted the Whale is making waves for its environmental performance. Equipped with energy-efficient gas turbines and compression systems, the facility achieves about 30% lower greenhouse gas intensity over its lifecycle compared to Vito.
Whale reinforces Shell’s stance in the Gulf of Mexico, where the company operates some of the lowest greenhouse gas-intensity oil production vessels and facilities in the world. It also marks another critical step in Shell’s broader strategy: to balance today’s energy demands with its net-zero ambitions.
With the successful launch of Whale, Shell believes that that innovation, efficiency, and environmental responsibility can coexist in the high-stakes world of deepwater energy.
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Image Credit: Shell
5/8/2025
