Asia's 1st cylindrical FPSO oil facility starts final assembly in Qingdao

QINGDAO -- Asia's first cylindrical floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) facility entered its final assembly phase in Qingdao City of east China's Shandong Province after 20 months of construction.

An FPSO unit is a vessel used in the offshore oil and gas industry for the production and processing of hydrocarbons and for the storage of oil.

Dubbed Haiyang Shiyou 122, the enormous facility spans 90 meters at its greatest diameter and boasts a deck with an area of about 13 standard basketball courts.

It can store some 60,000 tons of oil and operate continuously at sea for 15 years without docking.

According to the project's engineers, the vessel's assembly represents a new feat of innovation for Chinese maritime construction.

"We pioneered the combination of construction techniques with double gantry crane technology, enabling the independent application of 15 key technologies and equipment. This means China is now capable of independently designing and manufacturing a wide range of deep water oil and gas equipment tailored to particular oil fields and sea areas," said Tao Fuwen, general manager of the Qingdao branch for China's Offshore Oil Engineering Co.

The FPSO is expected to be put into service in the first half of next year at the Liuhua Oilfield in the Pearl River Estuary basin, providing new options for China's offshore oil and gas exploration.

Construction on Haiyang Shiyou 122 first began in March 2022. Main body construction was completed in July 2023.