.jpg)
November 03, 2026 • 4 min read
Sparta is pushing deepwater development into a new frontier.
Designed to safely produce oil and gas from reservoirs with pressures of up to 20,000 psi (API 20K), Sparta marks a step forward for deepwater development in the Gulf of America. Expected to produce up to 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, Sparta builds on the simplified, replicable design approach used on Vito and Whale. The development also introduces Shell’s 20K technology, featuring advanced subsea systems and all electric topsides compression.
Working alongside Shell, we’re supporting Sparta with engineering and procurement through fabrication and installation, helping bring this new generation of deepwater development to life.
Statistic Cards
Supporting Shell’s vision for repeatable deepwater development
In deepwater, certainty is required long before first oil. It starts with knowing where to carry lessons forward, where to simplify and where focused innovation matters most. For Sparta, the value lies in how those lessons are applied: retaining proven design choices, simplifying interfaces and keeping delivery focused across all project phases. That discipline gives engineering teams more space to concentrate on the areas that are genuinely new.
Our role supports this focus. From front end engineering design (FEED) and detailed engineering through procurement and construction support, we help retain project knowledge across phases and keep technical effort directed where it can create the most value.
Visualization of how Sparta will look once in operation
(Copyright Shell International Ltd.)
Working as one integrated team
Sparta’s delivery depends on close coordination. In Houston, Shell and Worley teams work side by side across disciplines, creating a day to day rhythm where issues can be raised early and decisions can move quickly.
For Joe Finis, Worley’s Project Director on Sparta, that working environment is central to how the project builds momentum. “The strength of the project comes from the way our teams work every day. We sit together, share knowledge and focus on common goals rather than traditional customer contractor boundaries,” he said. That proximity has helped carry continuity from early engineering into execution.
Dan Cutbirth, Sparta Topsides Lead at Shell, reinforced the value of that approach:
Connected execution from design through construction
Because our involvement began during FEED, the team can carry project context from definition into construction support. This helps ensure decisions made early in design remain connected to what’s needed in fabrication and execution.
In practice, that means supporting Shell’s construction management activities with engineering expertise, procurement support and rapid issue resolution. To keep support close to the work, we also mobilized members of our engineering team to the fabrication yard, where they work alongside Shell, Seatrium and global vendors to resolve issues quickly and keep execution moving efficiently.
Digital tools like OMIE help keep that support connected across teams and locations. “Using our advanced 3D modeling and digital collaboration tools, we can improve traceability, reduce rework and respond faster to site queries. These tools are critical in connecting engineering teams, vendors and fabrication partners,” Finis said.
That connected way of working is supported by our global delivery network, which combines leadership in Houston, US with Global Integrated Delivery (GID) teams in Hyderabad and Mumbai, India.
The same principle applies to the interfaces between hull and topsides engineering, where early visibility can be critical on a project of Sparta’s scale. “Closer coordination between these scopes helps us identify dependencies earlier, work through issues more efficiently and maintain a clearer link between design decisions and execution needs,” Finis said.
Sparta under construction
(Copyright Shell International Ltd.)
Collaboration driving long term value
Together, these ways of working reflect a broader alignment between Shell and Worley to make complex offshore developments more efficient and easier to replicate.
For Sparta, that means bringing digital delivery, advanced engineering and disciplined execution together in support of Shell’s capital discipline and long term deepwater portfolio value.
As the project advances, Sparta stands as more than a single offshore development. It represents an evolving blueprint for deepwater delivery built on trusted collaboration, shared learning and the discipline to apply what works.
