On October 17, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced that its subsidiary, Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. (OOE), has successfully completed the first set of process modules for the P79 Floating Production Storage and Offloading Unit (FPSO) project for Brazil’s National Oil Company, Petrobras. The modules were delivered on October 16 in the West Coast New Area of Qingdao, Shandong Province. Measuring 345.3 meters in length and weighing approximately 130,000 tons, this FPSO is one of the largest under construction worldwide.

We spoke with Huang Liang, the project manager for the P79 project at OOE. He explained that OOE is responsible for the construction and installation of about 30,000 tons of the upper modules, which are comprised of 13 modules, along with detailed engineering, processing design, and material procurement. During peak construction, the assembly of all 13 modules demanded the efforts of over 3,000 workers. This posed significant challenges in areas such as construction technology, quality management, safety risk control, resource allocation for large equipment, and precision control.

In response to these challenges, OOE formed a specialized team to implement monthly rolling plans and module-specific strategies. They employed a comprehensive engineering project management system along with a visualization system throughout the entire process. By integrating the construction of process modules with the pipe rack modules, they significantly improved the project’s integration level. The team successfully completed side installations of large equipment weighing over 200 tons, achieving a leading standard in modular construction within the industry.

Upon completion, the P79 FPSO will be deployed in the Buzios oil field of the Santos Basin, one of the world’s largest deep-water oil fields discovered in 2010, operating at depths exceeding 2,000 meters. Once operational, it is expected to have a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil and 7.2 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, along with a storage capacity of 2 million barrels of crude oil.

Currently, OOE has established friendly cooperative relationships with dozens of international energy and engineering companies. Their Qingdao site has successfully delivered multiple projects, including the P67/P70 FPSOs and the Penguin FPSO, as well as a liquefied natural gas project in Canada.