Source: Xinhuanet
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| An aerial drone photo taken on April 26, 2024 shows Haikui No. 1, Asia's first cylindrical floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) facility, in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) |
The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced on Monday that "Haikui No. 1," Asia's first cylindrical floating oil-gas production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) facility, has been successfully installed at sea. This milestone represents a major advancement for China in deploying floating facilities in deepwater oil and gas fields.
"Haikui No. 1," developed by China, is situated in the Liuhua Oilfield in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, over 320 meters deep and about 240 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen. The facility weighs 37,000 tonnes and stands as tall as a 30-story building, integrating crude oil production, storage, and offloading. It comprises nearly 600,000 components, with a main deck size equivalent to 13 standard basketball courts, and can store up to 60,000 tonnes of oil.
Wang Huoping, deputy general manager of the Liuhua Oilfield development project at CNOOC's Shenzhen branch, highlighted that this installation is China's first offshore deployment of cylindrical marine equipment. "Haikui No. 1" is designed for a 30-year lifespan and can operate continuously at sea for 15 years without docking.
The cylindrical design offers benefits over traditional ship-shaped FPSO units, including reduced steel usage, increased oil storage efficiency, and improved resilience to harsh sea conditions, enhancing economic viability and reducing development and operational costs. However, its high center of gravity and large windward area make offshore installation challenging due to a tendency to rotate, Wang added.
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