The world’s largest cylindrical floating production, storage, and offloading facility has departed the Hyundai Heavy Industry(HHI) Ulsan yard in South Korea and is en route to Hammerfest in Finnmark, northern Norway.
Following preparation for operations, the FPSO will then be towed for hook-up and commissioning to Goliat field in the Barents Sea—85 km northwest of Hammerfest—where production start-up for operator Eni Norge AS is expected by midyear.
The FPSO is being transported by the Dockwise Vanguard, the world's largest heavy-lift vessel, over a period of 60 days, with arrival expected by early April.
Designed by Sevan Marine,the 64,000-ton cylindrical floater measures 112 m in diameter and 75 m in height; and has the capacity to produce 100,000 b/d and store 1 million b/d of crude (OGJ Online, Feb. 9, 2009; Mar. 26, 2009; July 1, 2009). The cylindrical shape is designed to withstand harsh sea conditions.
The FPSO will be held on location by 14 anchor lines and hooked-up to a subsea production system comprising 22 wells drilled from 8 templates (OGJ Online, June 22, 2011; Mar. 8, 2012). Eni Norge in June 2014 let an inspection services contract for the facility to DNV GL (OGJ Online, June, 13, 2014).
Goliat, the world’s most northerly offshore development, will represent the first oil field to come on stream in the Barents Sea. The estimated recoverable reserves from Goliat are 178 million boe. The lifetime is estimated at 15 years.
