Chinese firm taps French player for FLNG mooring job in Africa and boosts its fabrication capacity for floating facilities

China-based clean energy services provider Wison New Energies (WNE) has handed out a transport and installation contract to France’s marine contractor GEOCEAN for a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit, destined to work on a project off the coast of Congo. In addition, the firm has struck a multi-year deal with a compatriot shipbuilding industry enterprise, which is set to expand its production and construction scale, enabling it to meet the surge in demand for floating natural gas facilities and clean energy solutions.

GEOCEAN’s latest transport and installation contract win is taking it to Congo where it will install the mooring system for Eni’s second FLNG unit on the Marine XII block, which is set to significantly enhance the African country’s energy sector by producing LNG for domestic and export needs.

According to the French player, the project involves installing a submerged swivel and yoke system (SSY) anchored via three drilled piles and one flexible riser connecting the SSY to the FLNG around 50 km from Pointe Noire. With a production capacity of 2.4 million metric tons of gas per year, the unit can store 180,000 m³ of LNG and 45,000 m³ of LPG.

“The completion of the mooring system installation is in sight in the first quarter of 2025. The work highlights GEOCEAN’s advanced technical expertise and capability to deliver complex offshore alternative solutions. We are proud to contribute to this significant development in Congo’s energy infrastructure,”  explained the firm.

Eni’s Congo LNG project, which aims to unlock gas resources of the Marine XII project with the installation of two FLNG units at the Nenè and Litchendjili fields, is designed to have an overall LNG production capacity of 3 million tons per year or approximately 4.5 billion cubic meters per year from 2025.

Congo entered the LNG exporters’ club in February 2024, after the first FLNG unit, known as Tango with 0.6 million tons per annum (mtpa) capacity, began its LNG deliveries. With a capacity of 2.4 mtpa, the second unit, currently under construction, is slated to be in operation by the end of 2025.

While the first shipyard in Nantong has almost completed the hull, the second shipyard in Zhoushan claims that the topside modules will not be ready before September 2025.

The three-year strategic cooperation agreement with Zhoushan CIMC Changhong Shipyard (CIMC Changhong), a wholly owned subsidiary of Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Repair, will enable Wison New Energies to furnish its clientele with a full suite of engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning (EPCIC) services for floating natural gas facilities and clean energy solutions.

Furthermore, CIMC Changhong is expected to leverage assets in offshore engineering and construction and align synergistically with WNE to bolster the latter’s position in the integrated clean energy solutions arena.

With six dry docks varying in dimensions from 240 to 510 meters long and 40 to 120 meters wide, CIMC Changhong features a maximum single-lift capacity of 800 tons, alongside extensive yard areas and diverse facilities and equipment, which together facilitate the capability of constructing and shipping modules of around 10,000 tons.

As a result, these facilities are anticipated to enlarge Wison’s production and construction scale, ensuring its ability to fulfill the demands of forthcoming contracts, especially concerning the firm’s proficiency in fabricating large and mega-scale FLNG, FPSO, FSRUs, and other floating facilities.

“This strategic partnership underscores Wison’s determination and confidence in continuing its expansion and deepening its presence in the clean energy sector. Moving forward, Wison is committed to aggregating premium industrial resources to offer its clients efficient, integrated clean energy solutions, contributing to the global transition towards sustainable energy,” outlined the Chinese player.

The deal for this expansion in capacity comes after Wison New Energies disclosed plans to exit all Russian projects in the wake of the raft of sanctions the U.S. disclosed for companies fueling Russia’s energy sector boom and the European Union’s 14th package of sanctions against the country.

Recently, the Chinese player won a $1 billion contract with Malaysia’s Genting to construct an FLNG, which would be the first such unit in Indonesia and the ninth one worldwide. This is Wison’s third contract to build FLNG facilities, following deals with Exmar and Eni.