GRAY, La. – Danos announced it has secured a long-term offshore operations contract supporting two new floating production units in the Gulf, with the deepwater facilities expected to begin producing oil in 2029 and 2030 at capacities of 80,000 barrels per day each. They did not disclose the name of the operator involved in the projects, referring only to an “integrated energy major.”
Danos will provide offshore operations, maintenance and production support for the facilities, including topside staffing, crane and lifting services, hook-up and commissioning work and ongoing production operations.
The projects are expected to support about 80 new offshore operations and maintenance jobs over the next several years. Danos said the initial contract runs for five years with an option to extend to seven years.
The floating production units, or FPUs, are new offshore facilities expected to enter the Gulf over the next three to four years. FPUs are used in deepwater oil and gas production to process hydrocarbons offshore before transportation to shore.
Danos will initially onboard 40 to 45 employees for the first facility, including topside operations supervisory personnel, mechanics, electricians, automation specialists and production operators. A similar staffing model will follow for the second facility.
The company said the projects are separate from its existing work on the Shenandoah deepwater production facility.
Danos Operations Services President Reed Peré said the project reflects continued growth in the company’s outsourced operations model, which enables operators to lower expenses and gain greater flexibility in managing complex offshore assets.
“This project highlights our proven approach to managing operations,” said Peré. “We are focused on delivering safe, reliable performance from startup through ongoing production.”
Deepwater Investment Continues
The projects come as several major deepwater oil developments in the Gulf move into production or advanced construction phases, including Beacon Offshore Energy’s Shenandoah project, Shell’s Whale development and LLOG Exploration’s Salamanca project.
Each project relies on large floating production systems used to process oil and gas offshore.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Gulf operators were expected to bring 13 new offshore oil and natural gas fields online during 2025 and 2026 through floating production systems and subsea tieback developments, with some projects already entering production this year.
The Danos contract reflects continued investment in Gulf deepwater infrastructure as operators prepare additional offshore production systems scheduled to come online later this decade.
“This award reinforces the Gulf of America’s continued role as a critical hub for world-class deepwater energy development and highlights the region’s long-term economic resilience,” said Luis Otero, Danos General Manager of Outsourced Operations and Decommissioning.
Projects of this scale typically support not only offshore production jobs but also fabrication yards, vessel operators, engineering firms, equipment suppliers and port activity throughout the Gulf Coast energy corridor.
“Projects of this scale drive sustained investment not only in offshore operations, but across the broader supply chain supporting skilled jobs, local service providers, and infrastructure along the gulf coast,” Otero said. “For Danos, it represents continued growth in high-value operations and maintenance services, building on our track record of safe, reliable execution in deepwater environments. For the region, the addition of new producing assets with multi-decade life cycles provides economic stability, workforce development opportunities, and continued demand for technical expertise, reinforcing the gulf coast as a global leader in energy production.”
About Danos
Founded in 1947, Danos is a family-owned energy services company based in Gray, Louisiana. Its Danos Operations Services division provides offshore and onshore production personnel, outsourced operations and decommissioning services, technical support, coastal restoration and supply chain services for energy industry customers. Danos was a finalist for the 2022 Center for Offshore Safety Safety Leadership Awards.
