Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) has reportedly completed the keel-laying process for the fifth Fast4Ward floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) hull, just seven months shy of the initial steel cutting for the vessel.
The FPSO was constructed based on SBM Offshore’s Fast4Ward concept.
A Dec. 9 Upstream Online article noted that the hull’s probable destination is the ExxonMobil Guyana-operated Stabroek block.
SBM Offshore set to begin front end engineering design for Exxon’s 6th Guyana FPSO | OilNOW
The Chinese shipyard in Shanghai finalized the keel-laying for the floater, referred to as multipurpose floater 5 (MPF 5). The construction, managed by SBM Offshore, also includes the development of living quarters measuring 52 meters in height, 60 meters in length, and 15 meters in width, boasting a substantial steel weight of 2800 tonnes. Citing sources, Upstream said this was to be among the largest living quarters ever constructed in China.
The FPSO is designed to accommodate a storage capacity of up to 2.3 million barrels of crude oil. This marks the progression of the MPF series, with the first Fast4Ward unit, Liza Unity, already operational at ExxonMobil’s Liza field within the Stabroek block since its delivery in late 2019. The second unit, the Prosperity FPSO, commenced topsides integration after arriving at Singapore’s Seatrium in late 2021, achieving its first oil production on November 14.
Similarly, the third unit, completed in January 2022, is presently stationed in Singapore for topsides integration, while the fourth unit, delivered in early April, is also undergoing topsides integration at Seatrium.
SBM Offshore is the builder of the first FPSO to start oil production in Guyana – Liza Destiny – on contract for ExxonMobil.
