Sembcorp Marine announced that it has completed FSO Ailsa, the world’s first Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel with a 40-year hull lifespan. The ship is planned to set sail in June for the Culzean gas field in the UK North Sea.
The ship was built for MODEC, an offshore oil and gas floating production systems company, with French oil TOTAL as the field operator and TOTAL, BP and JX Nippon as Joint Venture owners. FSO Ailsa will start service with a hull capable to have twice the average hull fatigue lifespan of other newbuild FSOs, as verified by DNV GL.
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A longer hull fatigue life will make it easier for ships to handle extreme environmental conditions, such as rogue waves, corrosion, large ambient temperature variation and thunderstorms.
The vessel has a 430,000-barrel condensate storage capacity, and can have a 25-year continuous operability without drydocking. It is also complying with UK safety regulations for harsh-environment operations in the Culzean field.
Mr. Sateesh Dev, President & CEO of MODEC Offshore Production Systems, noted:
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. The successful delivery of the FSO was largely attributed to the close and strong cooperation between our long-term partner Sembcorp Marine and us. We congratulate Sembcorp Marine for completing the vessel successfully.
