(WO) — Woodside Energy has begun drilling operations at the Trion field in ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico waters offshore Mexico, marking a major step forward in the development of one of the country’s most significant offshore projects.
The campaign will include the drilling of 24 subsea wells tied back to a floating production unit (FPU), Tláloc, with a nameplate capacity of approximately 100,000 bpd. Produced crude will be transferred to a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel, Chalchi, which will have storage capacity of about 950,000 bbls.
Drilling operations will be carried out by Transocean’s Deepwater Thalassa drillship, which arrived in Mexican waters on March 5. The rig will be supported by supply vessels and logistics operations based in ports in the state of Tamaulipas.
Woodside, which operates the project with a 60% participating interest, is developing the field in partnership with Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), which holds the remaining 40% stake. The project reached final investment decision (FID) in 2023 and remains on schedule for first oil in 2028.
“Starting the drilling program represents a major milestone for the Trion project and for Mexico’s deepwater sector,” said Woodside Acting CEO Liz Westcott, noting that the development underscores the company’s collaboration with PEMEX to advance the offshore project safely and efficiently.
