China has taken a significant leap in offshore energy production with the full operation of its first intelligent manufacturing base for offshore oil and gas equipment in Tianjin. Officially opened on Wednesday, this state-of-the-art facility marks a milestone in the nation’s efforts to advance its offshore capabilities and embrace smart manufacturing technologies.
Situated along the coast of the Bohai Sea, the expansive base covers approximately 575,000 square meters. Constructed by the China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC), a subsidiary of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, the facility is poised to produce cutting-edge offshore oil and gas platforms as well as high-end offshore products, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) modules.
The manufacturing base boasts four intelligent production workshops, eight production auxiliary centers, and 16 final assembly stations. Equipped with over 600 intelligent production machines, it features docks designed to facilitate the transportation of massive products via large ships, streamlining the logistical processes essential for offshore projects.
One of the standout features of the new facility is its intelligent manufacturing management platform. This technology enables a series of operations—such as material retrieval, pipe coiling, cutting, and hydraulic bending—to be executed with a single click, significantly enhancing efficiency over traditional manufacturing processes.
“There’s a vast variety of offshore oil and gas equipment, and in the past, manufacturing them involved complex processes with customized, non-standard requirements,” explained Wang Lei, a senior executive at the Tianjin branch of COOEC. “By developing an intelligent manufacturing management platform, we’ve achieved intelligent production under complex conditions.”
Wang noted that more manufacturing processes are now automated, requiring only a small number of workers to perform detailed adjustment tasks. This shift not only increases efficiency but also reduces the potential for human error in intricate manufacturing operations.
The base’s construction unfolded in two phases. The first phase, operational since June 2022, successfully delivered 35 offshore oil and gas platforms to countries including China and Canada, with a total weight exceeding 87,000 tonnes. The second phase introduced eight additional final assembly stations and an intelligent pipe production line, along with increased dock capacity.
“With the intelligent pipe production line, production efficiency has increased by about 20 percent compared to the first phase,” Wang revealed. “Through digital intelligent manufacturing and precise management, the overall production capacity of the factory has doubled.”
China’s offshore crude oil production reflects the impact of such advancements. In 2023, production exceeded 62 million tonnes, marking a year-on-year increase of 3.4 million tonnes and accounting for about 70 percent of China’s total crude oil production increase last year.
The inauguration of this intelligent manufacturing base signifies China’s commitment to integrating advanced technologies into its industrial sectors, positioning the nation at the forefront of innovation in offshore oil and gas equipment production.
Reference(s):
China's first smart factory for offshore oil and gas equipment opens
cgtn.com
