Eni’s revamped FPSO and FSO getting ready to set sail for ‘Africa’s first net-zero emissions’ oil & gas project (Video)

Italy’s energy giant Eni has held a naming ceremony for a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) and floating storage and offloading (FSO), which underwent conversion works for a year. The finishing touches are now underway to prepare these vessels for their move to the Italian heavyweight’s oil and gas development, which is said to be the largest discovery in Cote d’Ivoire and the first net-zero upstream project, in terms of Scope 1 and 2 emissions, on the African continent.

The UK-based Altera Infrastructure secured 15-year contracts in October 2023 to redeploy the FPSO Voyageur Spirit and the Nordic Brasilia shuttle tanker – expected to be converted into an FSO – for work at Eni’s Baleine Phase 2 project located off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire. Afterward, refurbishment of both started at DryDocks World in Dubai, UAE. These vessels have entered their final stages of upgrading and conversion before their mobilization to Côte d’Ivoire.

As a result, Eni, Petroci, Drydocks World, and Altera Infrastructure held a naming ceremony in Dubai, which rebranded to Petrojarl Kong the FPSO that previously operated under the name Voyageur Spirit on the Huntington field in the North Sea until 2020. In line with this, the FSO, converted from the Altera shuttle tanker Nordic Brasilia, was renamed Yamoussoukro and will provide additional storage capacity and oil export facilities at the field.

The naming ceremony was attended by Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Energy; Fatoumata Sanogo, Petroci’s CEO; Guido Brusco, Eni’s Chief Operating Officer Natural Resources; and Janarthanan Lakshmi Kanthan, Senior Vice President, EPC & Commercial at Drydocks World; along with 200 other distinguished guests from partners in this project.

Arne H. Tørnkvist, Executive Vice President of Projects, commented: “This achievement is a testament to Altera’s capacity to develop and execute large and complex projects while maintaining focus on safety and quality. The FPSO and the FSO are being completed approximately 14 months after arriving at the yard – and the Altera FPSO and FSO Projects combined have so far involved more than 8 million manhours without lost time injuries and over 10 million on the entire project.”

According to Altera, which owns and will operate both vessels set for deployment on the Baleine field with a 15-year firm contract, this fast-track execution model has required parallel activities concerning engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPCC). The scope of undertaken work encompasses extensive demolition, repair and life extension, and conversion work for both vessels. DOF has been selected to install the FPSO and FSO once they arrive at their destination.

While commending Eni for moving the industry forward by focusing on more sustainable developments, the vessel owner describes the Baleine field as “Africa’s first net-zero emissions field development.” This will mark Altera’s first entry into the West African region, which continues to see high demand for FPSO developments. The firm’s new base in Abidjan will be the operational center for the FPSO and FSO. The operations are scheduled to begin in December 2024.

Chris Brett, President of Altera Infrastructure Production, highlighted: “Naming ceremony of FPSO Petrojarl Kong and FSO Yamoussoukro for the Baleine field in Côte d’Ivoire marks a new milestone for Altera. It demonstrates that redeployments are some of the fastest, most cost-effective, and emissions-friendly ways for our customers to develop their projects in the current market. This is Altera’s 13th redeployment project.

“Altera is well established with a local organisation in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where we intend to be committed and engaged contributors to the development of a growing industry for many years to come.”

Eni kicked off production from the Baleine field at the end of August 2023, less than two years after the discovery in September 2021 and less than a year and a half after the final investment decision (FID) was made. The start-up followed the arrival of the FPSO Firenze – renamed Baleine upon its mooring – which sailed away from Dubai in April 2023 to the Baleine field in Côte d’Ivoire, extending over blocks CI-101 and CI-802.

The company’s current equity production of hydrocarbons totals around 22,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from the Baleine field. However, the start of Phase 2, expected by year-end, will increase field production to 60,000 bbl/d of oil and approximately 70 mscf/d of associated gas. The third development phase aims to elevate field production to 150,000 bbl/d of oil and 200 mscf/d of gas.

Eni’s recent Calao discovery has put the wind in Cote d’Ivoire’s oil outlook’s sails with preliminary estimates indicating potential resources in the range of 1 to 1.5 billion barrels of oil. The firm is expected to shell out billions on its projects in the country given a $10 billion spending earmarked for the three-phase development of the Balaine field up to 2027.

Total investments of over $15 billion are anticipated to enable the African country to step up its oil production game from 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 200,000 bpd over the next three years.