FPSO gets a new name ahead of floating wind electrification

Malaysia’s Dagang NeXchange Berhad (DNeX), via its subsidiary Ping Petroleum UK, has renamed its recently acquired floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which is expected to be one of the UK’s first offshore wind-powered oil and gas production facilities.

Previously known as the Sevan Hummingbird, the vessel has now been renamed Excalibur ahead of its deployment at the Avalon Development in the North Sea. The renaming ceremony was held in Port of Nigg, Scotland, witnessed by delegations from DNeX and Ping, the companies informed on Thursday.

Tan Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Group Managing Director of DNeX, said: “We are proud to be the new asset owner and ready to progress in our maiden greenfield upstream project, starting on a clean slate in line with DNeX’s and Ping’s growth strategies.”

He said the next step is to retrofit the FPSO with electrification capability, supported by a dedicated floating offshore wind turbine that is purpose-built for Avalon’s requirement.

“The Excalibur can set the benchmark for a greener upstream operation with the deployment of a wind turbine technology that powers the entire production facility. This is a significant milestone for the Avalon Development and timely as we progressively move forward with the energy transition,” he said.

Ping took delivery of the FPSO from the marine energy transportation company, Teekay Corporation, in early July this year. This was followed by an agreement between Ping and Cerulean Winds this week to power the FPSO with a floating offshore wind turbine, expected to be one of the largest ever built in the UK.

First commissioned in 2008, the Excalibur spans 60-metre in diameter with a storage capacity of 270,000 barrels of oil. It can produce about 25,000 barrels per day, supported by up to 47 offshore personnel.

Ping had already finalised the conceptual development planning and begun Front-End-Engineering works in preparation to submit the Avalon Field Development Plan, with Final Investment Decision (FID) expected later this year.