Construction work began on a cylindrical floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) of the Kaiping South oilfield on March 6 in Qingdao City, East China’s Shandong Province, according to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
Independently designed and built by China, this is the largest cylindrical FPSO in Asia. Once completed, it will increase China’s independence in ultra-large deepwater oil and gas equipment production and provide support for the efficient and cost-effective exploitation of oil and gas resources in the deep sea.
The Kaiping South oilfield is the largest oilfield independently discovered by China in deepwater areas in terms of proven reserves. The Kaiping project plans to construct a 100,000-ton cylindrical FPSO, along with supporting subsea pipelines and more than 30 subsea Christmas trees. The complexity of this construction sets a new domestic record. The FPSO’s hull weight and the outer diameter length of its main deck and process decks are unprecedented. With a full-load displacement exceeding 170,000 tons and a maximum oil storage capacity of 122,000 cubic meters, ranking second worldwide, it will be Asia’s largest cylindrical “offshore oil and gas factory” in terms of size and weight, with the strongest oil and gas processing and storage capabilities.
Compared with the Haikui 1, an FPSO that has been in operation since 2024, the Kaiping FPSO entails a more difficult construction process, more complicated technical standards and more precise control. The construction team is committed to independently innovating and adhering to digitalization and high standards to build a safe, green and smart deep-sea equipment.
The Kaiping South oilfield lies in a deep sea area that has not been fully explored, and the gas and oil resources are deep below the seabed. The geological and reservoir conditions of the oilfield are complex, demanding a dynamic development strategy that should be modified in compliance with the extraction process, which requires highly compatible, reliable and secure equipment. The FPSO is designed to work for 30 consecutive years at sea, with no need to be sent ashore for repair, and to withstand frequent typhoons and difficult marine conditions in the deep water.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
