Hull construction of Asia's first FPSO facility completed

The construction of the hull of Asia's first cylindrical floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility in the Haixi Bay of the Qingdao West Coast New Area (Qingdao WCNA) was completed on Aug 17.

This facility, named Haiyang Shiyou 122, signifies a new breakthrough in China's research and manufacturing technology for deep-water ultra-large offshore oil and gas equipment.

FPSO facilities offer a range of advantages, such as their ability to resist wind and waves, flexibility in adapting to various water depths, large capacity for oil storage and offloading, as well as easy transferability and reusability.

However, constructing FPSO facilities can be challenging due to the complex production process and the need for high-level integration of equipment and facilities.

Haiyang Shiyou 122 features a cylindrical design that reduces the amount of steel required. This design ensures excellent overall stability, high resilience to harsh sea conditions, and cost-effective construction.

The facility comprises a hull with 41 independent compartments. The main deck area is as large as 13 basketball courts. The ship has a maximum oil storage capacity of 60,000 metric tons and is capable of operating for 15 years without having to return to dry dock.

The facility will require 12 mooring cables, each measuring 2,570 meters long, to anchor itself at a sea depth of 324 meters. The facility is capable of processing roughly 5,600 tons of crude oil daily.

The offshore oil and gas processing plant Haiyang Shiyou 122 is under construction in Qingdao, Shandong province, on August 17. [Photo by Zhang Jingang/for chinadaily.com.cn]