Michael Ritchie

Houston, TX 77064
281-890-4115 Home
713-553-3047 Mobile
mritchie1@aol.com
www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrritchie

Process, Projects, and Facilities Engineering

Professional Experience:
More than thirty years of engineering and management experience in the oil & gas
business. Most recent responsibilities focused on process engineering and project
management. Background also includes project/construction management, project
development, workover/completion supervision, reservoir, and production engineering.
Recent experience includes process engineering lead supporting West Africa
deepwater FPSO conversion project for a mid-size independent and for ExxonMobil
projects ($50M to $1.4B). Proficient with HYSYS, Pipephase, Prosper, PHAST and
other modeling applications.
Also served as project manager for ExxonMobil projects on the Zafiro Producer FPU in
Equatorial Guinea, engineering support for FPSO Serpentina conversion, and subsea
commissioning of an expansion project in Zafiro Field. As Project and Construction
Manager for CMS Oil & Gas, responsible for the design and planning of the $430M, 800
MCFD Alba Field development project offshore and onshore Equatorial Guinea, West
Africa including cryogenic gas processing, compression and reinjection facilities for 600
MCFD, interface with methanol plant, onshore storage and offshore LPG and
condensate loading facilities. Also managed onshore and offshore (FPSO) projects in
Tunisia, Congo and Cameroon. Process and facilities engineering experience includes
design of new facilities and troubleshooting/optimizing existing facilities. Construction
management experience includes onshore and a wide variety of offshore facilities and
structures. Operations experience includes FPSO operations and familiarity with ABS
rules and specifications. Early career experience focused on workover / completion
design and supervision, production and reservoir engineering, secondary recovery,
artificial lift design and troubleshooting.

Michael Ritchie

Employment:
November, 2013 to February, 2015
Consultant to Cobalt International Energy
Lead Process Engineer supporting concept selection, basis of design and FEED process
for a deepwater West Africa FPSO conversion. Project failed to achieve sanction, in part
due to decline in oil price, by target date leading to a change in management and other
reorganization.
February, 2009 to November, 2013
Consultant to ExxonMobil Production Company
Process Engineering Technical Lead supporting midsize to large production projects.
Projects included major West Africa gas utilization and monetization studies, polymer flood
enhanced recovery project, preliminary design of major European steam flood opportunity,
SCR NOx reduction, flare system upgrade of a one BCFD lean oil gas plant, and crude
treating system to allow crude firing of four GE 6B gas turbines.
January, 2006 to January, 2009
Offshore International Group
Engineering Manager primarily supporting activities of the Peruvian based PetroTech
Peruana (PTP) oil and gas production company. Company has significant assets including
80 offshore platforms, work barges, yards and skids for jacket and deck fabrication. In
conjunction with new field development, completed detail design to convert a deck barge to
spread moored FPSO to ABS class with nominal 70,000 bbl storage, 15,000 BOPD and 15
MCFD capacity. Also support Fairways Offshore activities domestically and in the Gulf.
September, 2002 to January, 2006
Consultant to ExxonMobil Production Company
Project Manager - Member of Projects Group supporting the EM affiliate in Equatorial
Guinea. Project Manager for utility, water handling upgrades and electrical load shed
projects on the Zafiro Producer FPU. FPSO Coordinator and Subsea Coordinator with the
Early Production Systems team engaged in the West Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Zafiro
Field Development project. Served one year as FPSO Coordinator and Subsea
Coordinator - Responsibilities included engineering support for the FPSO Serpentina
conversion including marine, topsides and subsea. Served as the subsea
commissioning/startup lead for the project. Subsea architecture included five drill centers,
five production manifolds, six production risers, gas lift and water injection risers, three
electro-hydraulic umbilicals in water depths to 2600 feet.
1998 to September, 2002
CMS Oil & Gas Company
Construction and Operations Manager - Managed operations and projects in Equatorial
Guinea, Congo, Tunisia, and Cameroon. Responsible for the Alba Field Development
Project as described in more detail above. Other responsibilities included FPSO operations
(offshore Congo, West Africa including ABS certification requirements and topsides
process of heavy oil to No. 6 Fuel Oil), management of major pipeline projects in Congo,
management of construction, installation and startup of two offshore platforms and multiple
pipelines in Equatorial Guinea, design and implementation of gas processing plant
modifications in Equatorial Guinea. Assisted parent company's successful negotiation and
sale of CMS Oil & Gas to Perenco SA.
1995 to 1998
International Paper Petroleum Company
Division Engineer - Offshore production operations and project management of
platforms/facilities design, construction, installation and start-up including two MOPU

Michael Ritchie
installations with 100 MCFD capacity each. Managed P&A and platform removal projects.
Designed and supervised well testing operations for 20 - 50 MCFD completions. Managed
design, permitting, installation and start-up of amine unit for high H2S concentration field.
1993 to 1995
Independent Consultant
Supervised workovers/completions offshore, land and inland waterways in South Louisiana
and Texas. In-house workover/completion design and production engineering for
American Exploration and IP Petroleum.
1989 to 1993
Laurel Operating Company
Production Engineer - All phases of business and operations of fields primarily located in
inland waterways of South Louisiana, including reservoir engineering, unitization, property
evaluation, oil & gas purchasing, permitting, planning and supervising drilling, completions,
workovers, facility design, and production optimization.
1980 to 1989
GoldKing Production Company
Assistant Production Superintendent - Supervised workovers/completions, pipeline
projects, and facility installations and start-ups. Managed production operations for 115
wells.
1976 to 1977
Prior to graduation, employed by Amoco Production, Diamond
Shamrock Chemical, Florida Gas Transmission, Michigan Wisconsin Pipeline in junior or
assistant engineering capacities, reservoir engineering, secondary recovery, chemical plant
capital projects.

Education/Certification:
Licensed Professional Engineer, Texas
Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering
University of Houston

1980

Numerous industry courses and seminars covering production operations, workovers,

completions and well control, Design of Fixed Offshore Platforms (UT) and Financial
Control and Planning for Oil & Gas Company Managers (SMU).