Floating Production Storage and Offloading

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Terra Nova FPSO
Terra Nova FPSO

A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO; also called a "unit" and a "system") is a type of floating tank system used by the offshore oil and gas industry and designed to take all of the oil or gas produced from a nearby platform (s), process it, and store it until the oil or gas can be offloaded onto waiting tankers, or sent through a pipeline.

A Floating storage and offloading unit is a similar system, but without the possibility to do any processing of the oil or gas.

Contents

[edit] History

Oil has been produced from offshore locations since the 1950s. Originally, all oil platforms sat on the seabed, but as exploration moved to deeper waters and more distant locations in the 1970s, floating production systems came to be used.

Oil produced from offshore production platforms can be transported to the mainland either by pipeline or by tanker. When a tanker solution is chosen, it is necessary to accumulate oil in some form of tank such that an oil tanker is not continuously occupied while sufficient oil is produced to fill the tanker.

Often the solution is a decommissioned oil tanker which has been stripped down and equipped with facilities to be connected to a mooring buoy. Oil is accumulated in the FPSO until there is sufficient amount to fill a transport tanker, at which point the transport tanker connects to the stern of the floating storage unit and offloads the oil.

An FPSO has the capability to carry out some form of oil separation process obviating the need for such facilities to be located on an oil platform. Partial separation may still be done on the oil platform to increase the oil capacity of the pipeline(s) to the FPSO.

FPSO diagram
FPSO diagram

[edit] Advantages

Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessels are particularly effective in remote or deepwater locations where seabed pipelines are not cost effective. FPSOs eliminate the need to lay expensive long-distance pipelines from the oil well to an onshore terminal. They can also be used economically in smaller oil fields which can be exhausted in a few years and do not justify the expense of installing a fixed oil platform. Once the field is depleted, the FPSO can be moved to a new location.

[edit] Vessels

[edit] Records

FPSO Firenze at Hellenic Shipyards, 2007
FPSO Firenze at Hellenic Shipyards, 2007

The world's largest FPSO is the Kizomba A, with a storage capacity of 2.2 million barrels. Built at a cost of over US$800 million by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, Korea, it is operated by Esso Exploration Angola (ExxonMobil). Located in 1200 meters (3,940 ft) of water at Deepwater block 200 statute miles (320 km) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean from Angola, West Africa, it weighs 81,000 tonnes and is 285 meters long, 63 meters wide, and 32 meters high (935 ft by 207 ft by 105 ft).[1]

[edit] Current FPSOs

FPSO Vessel Name Oilfield Location Operator ISC Entered service Owner
Abo FPSO Abo Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria Agip     Prosafe
Agbami FPSO Nigeria   Star Deep Water Petroleum     Chevron
Anasuria FPSO Teal, Teal South, Guillemot A North Sea, UK Shell Sigma3    
Anoa Natuna Anoa Field, Natuna Sea Indonesia Premier Oil   1990 Premier Oil, Natuna Sea BV
Aoka Mizu Ettrick North Sea, UK Nexen     Bluewater Group
Åsgard A Åsgard North Sea, Norway StatoilHydro      
Belanak Belanak Field South Natuna Sea, Indonesia ConocoPhillips      
Berge Helene Chinguetti North Atlantic Ocean, Mauretania Woodside Petroleum      
Bleo Holm Ross, Blake, Parry North Sea, UK Talisman Energy Wood Group March 1999 Bluewater Group
Bonga FPSO Bonga Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria Shell      
Brasil FPSO Roncador Campo Basin, Brazil Petrobras     SBM Offshore
Capixaba FPSO Golfinho Esprito Santo Basin, Brazil Petrobras     SBM Offshore
Captain FPSO Captain North Sea, UK Chevron      
Cidade de Vitoria FPSO Golfinho II Vitoria, Brazil Petrobras   2006 Saipem
Cossack Pioneer Cossack, Wanaea Indian Ocean, Australia Woodside Petroleum      
Espadarte FPSO Espadarte Campos Basin, Brazil Petrobras     SBM Offshore
Espoir Ivorien Espoir Gulf of Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire CNR     Prosafe
Falcon FPSO Yoho Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria ExxonMobil     SBM Offshore
Farwah Al-Jurf Mediterranean, Libya Total      
Four Vanguard Woollybutt Indian Ocean, Australia ENI      
Gimboa FPSO Gimboa South Atlantic Ocean, Angola Sonangol   2007 Saipem
Girassol FPSO Girassol South Atlantic Ocean, Angola Total      
Glas Dowr Sable Indian Ocean, South Africa PetroSA   2003 Bluewater Group
Global Producer III Dumbarton North Sea, UK Maersk   2006  
Greater Plutonio FPSO Block 18 South Atlantic Ocean, Angola BP      
Griffin Venture FPSO Griffin, Chinook, Scindian Indian Ocean, Australia BHP Billiton      
Gryphon FPSO Gryphon North Sea, UK Maersk   1993  
Hæwene Brim FPSO Pierce North Sea, UK Shell   1999 Bluewater Group
Jotun A Jotun North Sea, Norway ExxonMobil     Bluewater Group
Kizomba A Hungo, Chocalho South Atlantic Ocean, Angola ExxonMobil      
Kizomba B Kissanje, Dikanza South Atlantic Ocean, Angola ExxonMobil      
Kuito FPSO Cabinda, Angola Cabinda, Angola Chevron     SBM Offshore
MacCulloch FPSO MacCulloch North Sea, UK ConocoPhillips   April 1997  
Maersk Curlew Curlew North Sea, UK Shell      
Marlim Sul FPSO Marlim Sul Campos Basin, Brazil Petrobras     SBM Offshore
Mondo FPSO Luanda, Angola Block 15, Angola ExxonMobil     SBM Offshore
Munin Lufeng, Xijiang South China Sea, China CNOOC     Bluewater Group
Mystras FPSO Okono, Okpoho Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria Agip     Saipem
Nganhurra FPSO Enfield Indian Ocean, Australia Woodside Petroleum      
Norne FPSO Norne North Sea, Norway StatoilHydro      
Northern Endeavour Laminaria Timor Sea, Indonesia Woodside Petroleum      
Petrojarl Banff Banff North Sea, UK CNR      
Petrojarl Foinaven Foinaven North Sea, UK BP      
Petrojarl I Glitne North Sea, Norway StatoilHydro      
Petrojarl Varg Varg North Sea, Norway Talisman Energy      
Pertroleo Nautipa FPSO Etame South Atlantic Ocean, Gabon Vaalco Energy     Fred Olsen Production, Prosafe
Polvo FPSO Polvo South Atlantic Ocean, Brazil Devon Energy   2007 Prosafe
Rang Dong 1 Rang Dong South China Sea, Vietnam JVPC,Nippon oil     Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Ruby Princess FPSO Ruby South China Sea, Vietnam Petrovietnam     Prosafe
Saxi-Batuque FPSO Luanda, Angola Block 15, Angola ExxonMobil     SBM Offshore
Schiehallion FPSO Schiehallion North Sea, UK BP      
Sea Eagle FPSO EA Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria Shell      
SeaRose White Rose Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Canada Husky Energy   2005  
Seillean FPSO Golfinho Esprito Santo Basin, Brazil Petrobras      
Serpentina FPSO Zafiro Gulf of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea Exxonmobil     SBM Offshore
Terra Nova Terra Nova Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Canada Petro-Canada   2002  
Triton Bittern, Guillemot West, Guillemot Northwest North Sea, UK Amerada Hess Wood Group    
Uisge Gorm FPSO Fife, Fergus, Flora, Angus North Sea, UK Amerada Hess     Bluewater Group
Xikomba FPSO Luanda, Angola Block 15, Angola ExxonMobil     SBM Offshore

[edit] Builders

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.exxonmobileurope.com/Corporate/Newsroom/Publications/TheLamp_3_2005/story2.asp "Production grows in West Africa’s largest deepwater development"] - The Lamp - Volume 86 Number 3 2004 - Exxon Mobil Corporation

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