China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has started production at Liuhua 11-1/4-1 oilfield secondary development project, which features China’s first cylindrical floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit and a new platform.

The project is located in eastern South China Sea and consists of 2 oilfields, Liuhua 11-1 and Liuhua 4-1, with an average water depth of approximately 305 meters.

The main production facilities include a new deepwater jacket platform Haiji-2 and a cylindrical FPSO Haikui-1.

The Haikui-1 FPSO consists of nearly 600,000 parts, and has a weight of nearly 37,000 tons, a height close to a 30-storey building, and a maximum oil storage capacity of 60,000 tons. With a design life of 30 years, it can operate at sea for 15 consecutive years.

A total of 32 development wells are to be commissioned. The project is expected to achieve a peak production of approximately 17,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2026, and the oil property is heavy crude.

“It is the first oilfield in Asia to be developed with the deepwater jacket platform plus cylindrical FPSO mode. The company has overcome various technological challenges to complete the project.

“While revitalizing the deepwater oilfields with original oil in place over 100 million tons, the new mode has substantially reduced the construction and production costs. It provides a Chinese solution for the efficient development of similar deepwater oil and gas fields,” said Zhou Xinhuai, CEO and President of CNOOC.