Feature 1 | FPSO CONVERSIONS
Keppel completes Maersk FPSO conversion
One of the most complex Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) conversions ever completed is destined for offshore Brazil, reports Mike King in Singapore.
Maersk Nova, a product tanker built in 2008 by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Singapore’s Keppel Shipyard completed the conversion over a two year period for Maersk FPSOs, a division of the AP Møller-Maersk Group. The project is understood to be the
M
largest single investment ever made by AP Møller-Maersk involving some 15 million man hours of work in total. The 307,284dwt vessel has a storage capacity of 1.6million barrels of oil and it can process 100,000 barrels of oil per day on location. The vessel has been chartered for 15 years to Statoil, which has an option to extend for an additional 15 years. What differentiates the Maersk
Peregrino from other FPSOs - both within Maersk FPSOs and globally - is the complexity of its onboard gear. This was custom made to process the heavy viscous crude oil found at the Peregrino oil field - 85km off the coast of Brazil near Rio de Janeiro in the Campos Basin - where the vessel will be deployed by Statoil. Maersk Peregrino has been equipped with two production trains, three boilers and double structures in order to maximise production processes and safety. “The conversion project was complex
because the oil in the Peregrino field has such high viscosity that it must be heated and maintained at 65o
C for it to
remain as a liquid,” said a spokesman for Maersk FPSOs. “This requires advanced technical materials for major parts of the construction to process the highly corrosive fluids under high temperatures.” In simplified terms, Maersk Peregrino needs to generate enough heat to heat
16 An aerial view of Maersk Peregrino at Keppel Shipyard in Singapore.
up the well fluids to separate oil from the gas, sand and water. To do so, a specially and unique optimised process using three steam boilers to heat up the oil to aid separation has been installed on Maersk Peregrino. The steam turbines are capable of producing 72Mw of electrical power, enough to power 150,000 homes.
“The conversion project started during a period of intense market activity when equipment, materials and
people were in high demand”
Another feature of this conversion is
that it has been designed for exceptional longevity and low maintenance. Most FPSOs have an average docking period of between five and 15 years, but Maersk
Peregrino is not expected to go to dock for 30 years. The planning for the conversion
started more than five years ago, but multiple design changes and other challenges meant the final agreement was not signed until January 2009. “The conversion project started
during a period of intense market activity when equipment, materials and people were in high demand,” said the spokesman. “Materials, equipment and personnel came from all over the world. For example, while the project is controlled by Maersk FPSOs in Denmark, the front end engineering design was carried out in Brazil, main engineering in Denmark, Norway, the USA, India and Singapore.” Parts of the processing facilities have
been supplied from the USA, Brazil and various European and South East Asian countries. The process modules were built in Indonesia and final integration onboard the ship took place in Singapore. Maersk Peregrino left Keppel’s
shipyard on 10 October for a deepwater anchorage off Singapore. On 1 November it is scheduled to depart on the 34-day journey to the Peregrino field. The first oil is expected in January 2011. SCRT
Shiprepair and Conversion Technology 4th Quarter 2010
aersk Peregrino, now a cavernous, hi-tech FPSO vessel, was previously the
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