New FPSO handed over to BW Offshore

Seatrium has handed over a new floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) to BW Offshore.

BW Opal will be operated under a lease and operate contract worth approximately US$4.6 billion. The contract has a firm period of 15 years plus up to 10 years' worth of options.

The FPSO has a hull length of 358 metres, a beam of 64 metres, and a gas handling capacity of 24 million cubic metres per day and a design capacity of 11,000 barrels per day of stabilised condensate.

The unit will be turret moored with a hull built using BW Offshore's proprietary design engineered to support advanced topsides, which weigh in at 45,000 tonnes each.

BW Offshore said the FPSO will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent compared to traditional systems. This translates to a reduction of up to 2.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the life of the asset.

Additionally, a combined-cycle gas turbine system with waste heat recovery will lower energy consumption by up to 66 per cent compared to industry standards, helping to maximise both economic and environmental performance.

BW Opal will be deployed at the Santos-operated Barossa Field located 285 kilometres offshore Darwin in northern Australia.