Yinson selects crane duo for its Angola-bound FPSO

Malaysia’s Yinson Production, a subsidiary of Kuala Lumpur-based energy infrastructure and technology company Yinson Holdings, has decided to equip its floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit with two cranes made by construction equipment manufacturer Liebherr.

As stated by Liebherr, two offshore cranes of the type Ram Luffing 2600 (RL 2600) and Ram Luffing knuckle boom 2600 (RL-K 2600) were sold to Yinson Production. The cranes will be installed on FPSO Agogo, which will be operating in the Agogo field offshore Angola, and used for maintenance and component replacement on the unit.

The Agogo field is located in Block 15/06, approximately 180 kilometres west of Angola’s coast. Yinson Production is set to operate and maintain FPSO Agogo under a contract with Azule Energy, a 50/50 joint venture between BP and Eni. This project marks the Singaporean player’s entry into Angola, while the partnership with Liebherr marks their second joint project, building on the collaboration established in 2016.

“We are pleased to be selected as the supplier of the main cranes onboard the Agogo FPSO for Angolan waters and look forward to maintaining our long-standing cooperation with Yinson Production through this new project. The advanced features and compact design of the RL 2600 and RL-K 2600 ensure an invaluable asset for our offshore customers,” said Oliver Odebrecht, Sales Manager General Purpose Offshore Cranes at Liebherr in Rostock.

According to Liebherr, both cranes have a maximum lifting capacity of up to 30 tonnes and a maximum boom outreach of over 30 metres. The RL 2600 has a compact design with a small radius and low overall height, while the RL-K is the most compact crane in its series, boasting a rear slewing radius of less than three metres.

With a production capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day, FPSO Agogo is said to be the first-ever FPSO featuring carbon capture technology. The Agogo field, where it will work, was discovered in 2019 in a water depth of approximately 1,650 meters. Two other FPSOs are already working at the field to bring estimated reserves of around one billion barrels to the energy market.

Following its naming ceremony in February, the FPSO departed a shipyard in China to undergo deepwater testing in March, after which it is set to embark on its journey to Angola.