CRP Subsea Secures Contract with Shell for Crushable Foam Wrap Supply

CRP Subsea, an AIS company, has recently announced the acquisition of a contract with Shell for the supply of crushable foam wrap (CFW) for the Whale deepwater development project in the Gulf of America.

The contract entails the provision of CFW for one initial well-set, with expectations for additional orders for four more well-sets to be fulfilled by 2025. Each well-set will consist of 1,798 CFW quadrants, each measuring one meter in length.

CFW is a specialized syntactic foam composed of a thermoset resin and hollow glass microspheres (HGMS), designed to be wrapped around the inner drill casing and submerged in the annulus fluid. When pressure within the annulus reaches a predetermined level, the CFW collapses, allowing for the expansion of annulus fluid and preventing potentially damaging pressure build-up.

Delivery of the first well-set is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025, and CRP Subsea’s Head of Sales, Andy Smith, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with Shell, stating, “This contract is a great validation of our team’s expertise and dedication to delivering high-quality solutions for the industry.”

The Shell Whale development, situated approximately 200 miles southwest of Houston, features a semi-submersible production platform equipped for remote operations and monitoring. The Whale production facility, operational since January 2025, is located in the Alaminos Canyon Block 773, adjacent to the Shell-operated Silvertip field and in close proximity to the Shell-operated Perdido platform.

With an anticipated peak production of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) and an estimated recoverable resource volume of 480 million boe, the Whale project represents a significant addition to Shell’s offshore portfolio.

CRP Subsea’s collaboration with Shell on the Whale deepwater development underscores their commitment to providing innovative solutions for the oil and gas industry, further solidifying their position as a trusted partner in subsea operations.