Sembcorp Marine (SembMarine) has completed the world’s first Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel with a 40-year hull lifespan, the FSO Ailsa, ready to set sail next month for the Culzean gas field in the UK North Sea.
The FSO Ailsa, built by Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard for Modec, and with Total as the field operator and Total, BP and JX Nippon as Joint Venture owners, will enter service with a hull designed to have twice the average hull fatigue lifespan of other newbuild FSOs, as verified by DNV GL.
Equipped with a 430,000-barrel condensate storage capacity, FSO Ailsa also boasts a 25-year continuous operability without drydocking and full compliance with strict UK safety regulations for harsh-environment operations in the Culzean field, the company explained.
Sateesh Dev, president & CEO of Modec Offshore Production Systems (Singapore, said, “FSO Ailsa, the 46th floating unit Modec has accomplished for the offshore oil and gas production industry, represents a significant milestone for us as it is the first one we have built for the North Sea oil and gas sector. We are honoured to play a key role in the Culzean project with this newbuild FSO, which has been exciting and challenging.”
Claus Vissing-Jorgensen, Culzean project director for Total, added, “Total is delighted to celebrate the successful completion of the FSO Ailsa for the Culzean project. Work has been carried out safely to a standard that confirms the strong capabilities of these fabrication facilities in Singapore.”
The Culzean field is located about 242 kilometers (145 miles) east of Aberdeen in the UK sector of the Central North Sea. First gas is expected to be produced from Culzean in 2019.