Eni, the Italian multinational energy company, has awarded contracts to Altera Infrastructure for the redeployment of the FPSO Voyageur Spirit and the shuttle tanker Nordic Brasilia as part of the Baleine Phase 2 project located offshore Ivory Coast. These vessels will be deployed at the Baleine field under a 15-year firm contract, with Phase 2 expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Both Voyageur Spirit and Nordic Brasilia are undergoing life extension work and field-specific modifications at Drydocks World in Dubai. Voyageur Spirit is a cylindrical-shaped FPSO previously deployed in the North Sea, while Nordic Brasilia will be converted into an FSO (Floating Storage and Offloading) vessel to provide additional storage capacity for the Voyageur FPSO. Altera will own and operate both vessels.

The Baleine Phase 2 project is notable as Africa's first net-zero emissions project (Scope 1 and 2). Chris Brett, President of Altera Infrastructure Production, emphasized the significance of the contract in Côte d'Ivoire and highlighted the efficiency and environmental benefits of vessel redeployments in the current market.

Eni had already started production from the first phase of the Baleine development in late August, marking a rapid progression from discovery to production. The field is considered the largest hydrocarbon discovery in the Ivorian sedimentary basin. Phase 2 is expected to increase field production to 50,000 barrels of oil per day and around 70 million standard cubic feet of associated gas per day, with a third development phase targeting even higher production levels.