WATCH: FPSO destined for ExxonMobil’s project off Guyana enters drydock

Dutch FPSO operator SBM Offshore has revealed that a floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will work for ExxonMobil off Guyana upon completion, recently entered drydock at the Keppel yard in Singapore.

Back in October 2022, SBM Offshore confirmed the construction of topside modules for the FPSO One Guyana – the firm’s largest FPSO to date – started in September 2022. Two steel strike ceremonies were held in both Keppel FELS and Dyna-Mac yards to mark the milestone. 

In a recent update, the FPSO operator disclosed that the FPSO One Guyana project had passed “another major milestone,” as the vessel “successfully entered” drydock at the Keppel yard in Singapore. According to SBM Offshore, the project team will continue construction with the next steps being the installation of the mooring structures and riser balcony.

Moreover, the topsides construction is progressing as per the project schedule, as the FPSO is being constructed for ExxonMobil Guyana and will join three other SBM Offshore-constructed FPSOs – Liza Destiny and Liza Unity – in Guyanese waters as well as the FPSO Prosperity currently in transit to Guyana.  

The FPSO One Guyana will be used for the fourth development within the Stabroek block, called the Yellowtail development project, which comprises six drill centres and up to 26 production and 25 injection wells. ExxonMobil sanctioned the project in April 2022 and followed it up with a contract confirmation with SBM for the supply of the FPSO for the project.

Located some 200 km offshore Guyana, the deepwater wells will be tied back to the FPSO One Guyana for processing. The FPSO is expected to perform produced water treatment functions as well as oil separation and gas injection.

With start-up slated for 2025, the FPSO One Guyana will have an optimum production capacity of 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil; a storage capacity of two million barrels of crude oil; a gas treatment capacity of 450 million ft³ a day; and a water injection capacity of 300,000 bpd.

The operator of the Yellowtail project is Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, with a 45 per cent interest in the block, while its partners, Hess and CNOOC Petroleum, hold 30 per cent and 25 per cent interest, respectively.