More than 300 meters beneath the sea, an underwater robot slowly activated the subsea Christmas tree, allowing crude oil to flow through the subsea manifold into Asia's first deepwater jacket platform, Haiji No. 2.
In the world of underwater drilling, a subsea Christmas tree (also known as wet tree) refers to the system of valves, flow paths, piping and connectors installed on a subsea wellhead to contain and control the flow of gas or oil from the reservoir or from the surface by injection.
After preliminary processing, the oil was immediately transported to Haikui No. 1, Asia's first cylindrical floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, marking the official launch of China's first deepwater oilfield secondary development project, Liuhua 11-1/4-1.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has worked to establish itself as a source of original technology, taking the lead in the modern industrial chain for deepwater oil and gas equipment, promoting self-sufficiency, high-end development, intelligence and sustainability in the industry.
With the deployment of these two national heavyweights – Haiji No. 2 and Haikui No. 1 – China has made an economically efficient model for deepwater oilfield development. This innovation enables the independent design and manufacture of various types of deepwater oil and gas equipment based on different sea areas and oilfields, contributing a "China solution" to the efficient development of similar deepwater oilfields, which is crucial for ensuring national energy security.
CNOOC has introduced a "deepwater jacket platform + cylindrical FPSO" development model, fully leveraging its role in technological innovation by collaborating with more than 40 advanced manufacturing enterprises around China. This collaboration has resulted in the application of three world-first technologies and 15 key technologies domestically, revitalizing the hundred million-ton deepwater oilfield through the independent design and manufacture of Haikui No. 1 and Haiji No. 2.
Over the past decade, CNOOC has achieved remarkable results in high-end equipment manufacturing. The "Deep Sea No. 1" energy station has propelled China's offshore oil industry into the ultra-deepwater era; the "Xuanji" system has accumulated nearly two million meters of global operational drilling; the "Haijing" system has created China's first ultra-deepwater 3D geological exploration map; and the "Haiyou Guanlan" has transformed deep-sea wind energy into green power for socio-economic development.
CNOOC is accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces in marine energy and advancing the construction of world-class deepwater oil and gas fields with Chinese characteristics, forging new paths for securing energy supplies and building maritime power.
(Executive editor: Zhu Zeya)
