<h1>Barracuda Gas Project, Trinidad and Tobago</h1>

<p>Barracuda Gas Project is an operating offshore gas development in Trinidad and Tobago. The project is located in Block 5C in the East Coast Marine Area and is associated with conventional gas production. It is operated through BG Group, with BG Group Ltd identified as the owner and Shell PLC as the parent company following Shell’s acquisition of BG Group. Barracuda, also known as Project Barracuda or Block 5C, entered production in 2021 and is part of Trinidad and Tobago’s offshore gas supply base. Public sources describe the development as a backfill gas project designed to support domestic gas demand and LNG-linked supply from Trinidad and Tobago’s established offshore gas infrastructure.</p>

<h2>Quick Facts</h2>

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Item</th>
<th>Details</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Project Name</td>
<td>Barracuda Gas Project</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Country</td>
<td>Trinidad and Tobago</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Subnational Unit</td>
<td>N/A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fuel Type</td>
<td>Gas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Production Type</td>
<td>Conventional</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Status</td>
<td>Operating</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Status Year</td>
<td>2021</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Operator</td>
<td>BG Group</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Owner(s)</td>
<td>BG Group Ltd [100%]</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Parent Company</td>
<td>Shell PLC [100.0%]</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Discovery Year</td>
<td>N/A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Final Investment Decision Year</td>
<td>2020</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Production Start Year</td>
<td>2021</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Onshore/Offshore</td>
<td>Offshore</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Basin</td>
<td>N/A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Block(s)</td>
<td>Block 5C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Coordinates</td>
<td>10.2400000, -60.1320000</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Project Overview</h2>

<p>The Barracuda Gas Project is an offshore conventional gas project in Trinidad and Tobago’s East Coast Marine Area. Public project data and Shell project statements identify Block 5C as the main concession area associated with Barracuda. The project is also referred to as Project Barracuda and, in some public references, by the block name itself.</p>

<p>The project is best understood as a gas backfill development. In an upstream gas context, a backfill project is normally intended to bring additional supply into existing production, processing, or export systems, helping maintain utilization of downstream facilities and replacing natural decline from mature fields. For Trinidad and Tobago, this is commercially important because the country has a long-established gas value chain that supports domestic power, petrochemicals, industrial gas consumption, and LNG exports.</p>

<p>Shell has described Barracuda as one of its largest projects in Trinidad and Tobago since the acquisition of BG Group. Public Shell information states that the project was expected to provide around 25,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or around 140 million standard cubic feet per day, of sustained near-term gas production, with peak production expected to be around 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or around 220 million standard cubic feet per day. These figures are project-level public statements and should not be interpreted as a current daily production rate.</p>

<p>The development concept publicly described for Barracuda includes production from the Bounty and Endeavour fields in Block 5C. Industry reports identify the project as comprising subsea gas wells tied back to existing Shell-operated infrastructure, including the Dolphin platform. This tieback approach is typical of offshore gas backfill developments where existing host facilities can be used to accelerate production and reduce the need for major new standalone infrastructure.</p>

<h2>Location and Basin</h2>

<p>Barracuda is located offshore Trinidad and Tobago in Block 5C. The project coordinates are approximately 10.2400000 latitude and -60.1320000 longitude. The location is identified at project level and should be treated as approximate rather than as a precise wellhead or facility location.</p>

<p>Public sources place the project in the East Coast Marine Area, one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most important offshore gas-producing areas. The area has historically supported large gas volumes for the country’s domestic and export-oriented gas industry. The East Coast Marine Area includes several Shell-linked gas assets, and Barracuda forms part of this wider offshore supply context.</p>

<p>The basin is not clearly specified in available public project sources. For engineering and asset-integrity readers, the key publicly confirmed location detail is that the project is offshore, located in Block 5C, and associated with Trinidad and Tobago’s established East Coast Marine Area gas infrastructure.</p>

<p>The offshore setting means the project’s development and operations depend on typical marine energy project considerations, including subsea equipment integrity, flow assurance, tieback operability, production reliability, logistics, marine access, and safe integration with host facilities. Public sources do not provide enough project-specific technical information to describe detailed reservoir parameters, subsea layout, pipeline specifications, or processing equipment design.</p>

<h2>Ownership and Operatorship</h2>

<p>The project is operated through BG Group, and BG Group Ltd is identified as the 100% owner. Shell PLC is identified as the parent company. This ownership structure reflects the legacy BG Group position in Trinidad and Tobago and Shell’s subsequent acquisition of BG Group.</p>

<p>Shell’s public materials describe the Barracuda development in the context of Shell Trinidad and Tobago. Shell Trinidad and Tobago has stated that first gas from Barracuda was delivered in July 2021. Public statements also describe the project as Shell’s first greenfield project in Trinidad and Tobago and one of its largest in the country since the BG Group acquisition.</p>

<p>There is no publicly confirmed multi-company consortium structure at the project level in the available project data. For the project-level Barracuda development, the available ownership information points to BG Group Ltd under Shell PLC. Individual field-level ownership may vary in public project databases, particularly where Bounty and Endeavour are discussed separately, but the project-level Barracuda ownership information identifies BG Group Ltd as the owner.</p>

<h2>Development History</h2>

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Milestone</th>
<th>Year or Date</th>
<th>Details</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Discovery Milestone</td>
<td>N/A</td>
<td>Publicly available project-level information does not clearly confirm a discovery year for the Barracuda Gas Project.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Development Milestone</td>
<td>2020</td>
<td>Public sources identify 2020 as the final investment decision year for the project.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Final Investment Decision Milestone</td>
<td>2020</td>
<td>The final investment decision was announced in 2020 for Block 5C, also known as Project Barracuda.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Production Milestone</td>
<td>2021</td>
<td>Production started in 2021. Shell announced first gas from the project in July 2021.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Recent Status Milestone</td>
<td>2021</td>
<td>The project is classified as operating following the production start-up milestone.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<p>The Barracuda development moved from final investment decision to production within a relatively short period. Public sources identify the final investment decision in 2020 and production start-up in 2021. Shell announced first gas from the project in July 2021, placing Barracuda among the company’s notable offshore gas additions in Trinidad and Tobago after the BG Group acquisition.</p>

<p>The project’s operating status means it is an active producing or operational upstream gas asset based on available project and public-source information. Current field-by-field production performance, reservoir decline profile, operating uptime, and facility availability are not fully detailed in open public sources.</p>

<h2>Infrastructure and Facilities</h2>

<p>Public infrastructure information for Barracuda identifies it as an offshore gas project in Block 5C involving the Bounty and Endeavour fields. Industry coverage states that the development includes subsea wells tied back to Shell’s Dolphin platform. The use of a tieback to existing infrastructure is a significant feature because it allows the project to add gas supply without requiring a fully standalone offshore processing facility.</p>

<p>Shell and industry sources describe Barracuda as a backfill project. The term indicates that the development was intended to add supply into an existing gas system rather than create a completely new export chain. Public sources also connect the project to Trinidad and Tobago’s wider gas supply system, including LNG-linked gas demand.</p>

<p>Detailed public information is limited for the project’s subsea architecture, pipeline diameter, tieback length, well completion design, materials selection, control system configuration, corrosion management strategy, and processing train modifications. These details may exist in operator or regulatory documents but are not clearly confirmed in the public sources reviewed for this article.</p>

<p>For engineering readers, the publicly confirmed technical picture is that Barracuda is an offshore gas tieback development in Block 5C, associated with subsea production and existing Shell-operated infrastructure. Any further detail on flowlines, umbilicals, manifolds, risers, dehydration, compression, or gas treatment should be treated as unconfirmed unless supported by project-specific operator disclosures.</p>

<h2>Production and Reserves</h2>

<p>Shell’s public project information describes Barracuda as having approximately 25,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or about 140 million standard cubic feet per day, of sustained near-term gas production, with peak production expected to be approximately 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or about 220 million standard cubic feet per day. These numbers represent public project expectations and should not be used as a current operating rate without updated production data.</p>

<p>Global Energy Monitor lists project-level production and reserve figures for Barracuda, including gas reserves and 2021 production data. These figures provide useful project reference points, but public updates on current reserves, remaining recoverable resources, annual decline, well performance, and daily production are limited.</p>

<p>The project’s production role is commercially relevant because Trinidad and Tobago has faced gas supply pressure affecting domestic industry and LNG utilization. Barracuda’s backfill character means it contributes to maintaining feedgas availability rather than creating an entirely new national gas export system. Public sources also indicate that the project supports gas delivery within Trinidad and Tobago and internationally through LNG-linked infrastructure.</p>

<h2>Recent Developments</h2>

<p>The key recent public development for Barracuda was the start of production in 2021. Shell announced first gas from Block 5C in July 2021, identifying the development as Project Barracuda and describing it as a backfill gas project in the East Coast Marine Area.</p>

<p>In the approximately three years after first gas, public project-specific updates for Barracuda have been limited. More recent Trinidad and Tobago upstream news has focused on broader gas supply initiatives, including other Shell and regional offshore gas developments intended to support LNG and domestic gas demand. These broader developments show the continued strategic importance of gas supply in Trinidad and Tobago, but they should not be treated as direct technical updates on Barracuda unless specifically tied to the project by operator or regulator sources.</p>

<p>Available public information therefore supports a conservative interpretation: Barracuda is an operating offshore gas project that entered production in 2021, while current project-level operating performance and recent field-specific activity are not extensively disclosed in public sources.</p>

<h2>Technical and Commercial Significance</h2>

<p>Barracuda is significant because it adds offshore gas supply in a mature gas-producing country with established LNG and petrochemical demand. Trinidad and Tobago’s energy economy depends heavily on natural gas, and upstream backfill projects are important for sustaining downstream utilization as older fields decline.</p>

<p>Technically, the project is relevant as an offshore gas tieback development. Tieback projects can offer schedule and capital efficiency compared with full standalone offshore developments, but they also require careful integration with existing host infrastructure. This includes interface management, production chemistry, controls integration, subsea reliability, capacity checks, and brownfield operating constraints at the receiving facility.</p>

<p>Commercially, Barracuda supports Shell’s Trinidad and Tobago gas portfolio and contributes to the country’s wider gas supply system. The project also illustrates the value of legacy BG Group acreage within Shell’s post-acquisition portfolio. Public statements emphasizing Barracuda as Shell’s first greenfield project in Trinidad and Tobago after the BG Group acquisition highlight its importance in Shell’s local upstream development sequence.</p>

<p>For asset integrity professionals, the project is also a useful example of how offshore gas projects can rely on existing platforms and systems while adding new subsea supply. Such developments typically require strong management of ageing infrastructure interfaces, subsea inspection philosophy, flow assurance, production chemistry, corrosion control, and operational readiness. Project-specific integrity details for Barracuda are not publicly confirmed, so these points should be understood as general engineering relevance rather than disclosed project design details.</p>

<h2>Challenges and Risks</h2>

<p>The main project risks that can reasonably be associated with Barracuda are those typical of offshore gas developments and mature-basin backfill projects. These include subsea equipment reliability, tieback integration, brownfield interface management, reservoir deliverability, gas quality management, and production decline uncertainty.</p>

<p>Because Barracuda is offshore, logistics and marine execution are also relevant. Offshore inspection, maintenance, intervention, and repair activities normally require vessel support, specialist contractors, weather planning, lifting or subsea access preparation, and careful coordination with ongoing production operations.</p>

<p>As a gas project in Trinidad and Tobago, Barracuda is commercially linked to the wider national gas balance. Trinidad and Tobago has historically depended on upstream gas supply to support LNG and petrochemical production. Gas supply shortfalls, reservoir decline, and the timing of new projects can affect the value and urgency of backfill developments. These are sector-level issues rather than project-specific problems unless confirmed by operator disclosures.</p>

<p>Public sources do not confirm project-specific issues such as sour service, sanctions exposure, major environmental disputes, financing delays, or material technical failures for Barracuda. Those risks should not be attributed to the project without direct supporting evidence.</p>

<h2>Related Topics</h2>

<ul>
<li>Offshore gas developments in Trinidad and Tobago</li>
<li>East Coast Marine Area gas production</li>
<li>Subsea tieback projects</li>
<li>Conventional gas field development</li>
<li>Gas backfill projects for LNG supply</li>
<li>Shell Trinidad and Tobago upstream assets</li>
<li>BG Group legacy gas portfolio</li>
<li>Offshore asset integrity and brownfield integration</li>
</ul>

<h2>Sources</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gem.wiki/Barracuda_Gas_Project_(Trinidad_and_Tobago)" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Global Energy Monitor, Barracuda Gas Project (Trinidad and Tobago)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.shell.com.tt/energy-and-innovation/assets-overview.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Shell Trinidad and Tobago, Assets and Investments</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.oedigital.com/news/489362-shell-brings-online-barracuda-gas-project-offshore-trinidad-and-tobago" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Offshore Engineer, Shell Brings Online Barracuda Gas Project Offshore Trinidad and Tobago</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/shell-gas-barracuda-project-trinidad-tobago/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Offshore Technology, Shell delivers first gas from project offshore Trinidad and Tobago</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.rigzone.com/news/shell_starts_up_barracuda-22-jul-2021-166007-article/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rigzone, Shell Starts Up Barracuda</a></li>
<li><a href="https://jpt.spe.org/shell-begins-barracuda-production" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Journal of Petroleum Technology, Shell Begins Barracuda Production</a></li>
</ul>

Barracuda Gas Field in Trinidad and Tobago: a concise look at its gas profile, status and location in Trinidad and Tobago.

Barracuda Gas Field in Trinidad and Tobago

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Barracuda Gas Field in Trinidad and Tobago

Barracuda Gas Field in Trinidad and Tobago

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