Dubai yard building FPSO turret for Barents Sea field

Dubai’s Drydocks World will construct parts of the turret mooring system for an FPSO to be deployed at Statoil’s Johan Castberg development in the Barents Sea. The shipyard has received the contract from the Dutch company SBM Offshore.

The Johan Castberg FPSO will be permanently moored by the internal turret mooring system at the Johan Castberg field in offshore Norway. The system will allow the vessel to passively weathervane around the anchor legs while simultaneously transferring fluids, power, and communications signals between the vessel and subsea equipment.

Drydocks World will be responsible for detail design of certain specified works, bulk procurement and construction including Super Duplex piping work and TLER / TLIR module.

This is not the first time Drydocks and SBM are cooperating in the turret mooring sector. The company has previously worked with SBM on the world’s largest turret, the one built for Shell’s Prelude FLNG unit in Australia. The Prelude turret was almost 100 meters high.

Commenting on the Johan Castberg award, Drydocks World’s Chief Operating Officer Mohammad Rizal said: “Drydocks World has a strong track record in delivering Turret Mooring Systems with an excellent safety and quality record. We have delivered the world’s largest turret to SBM Offshore, which positioned our yard as a global specialist with expertise in delivering large complex projects.

“This is the third turret that SBM Offshore has awarded to Drydocks World. Our long term business relationship started from 1996 with the first FSO conversion and since then we have successfully completed several FPSO projects. Drydocks World is committed to once again deliver a safe and quality product in a timely manner that fully meets our client’s expectations.”

Johan Castberg

As previously reported, Statoil last week submitted the plan for development and operation for the Johan Castberg project.

The field development concept includes an FPSO and a subsea development with a total of 30 wells, 10 subsea templates and two satellite structures.

According to Statoil, this is the biggest subsea field under development in the world today.

The Johan Castberg development costs are estimated at around NOK 49 billion (approximately $5.9 billion).

Recoverable resources are estimated at 450 – 650 million barrels of oil equivalent. This makes the Johan Castberg project the biggest offshore oil and gas development to be given the go-ahead in 2017. First oil is scheduled for 2022.