Construction of Asia's largest cylindrical floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) commenced this week in Qingdao, Shandong Province, marking a milestone in the Chinese mainland's offshore energy capabilities. The vessel, entirely designed and built domestically, will serve the Kaiping South oilfield in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, reinforcing China's push for deepwater resource development.
With a full-load displacement exceeding 170,000 tonnes and oil storage capacity of 122,000 cubic meters, the FPSO features a process deck spanning 110 meters in diameter—equivalent to 23 basketball courts. Its cylindrical design enhances space efficiency and stability in harsh deep-sea environments, outperforming traditional models.
The Kaiping South oilfield, located 300 kilometers south of Shenzhen in waters averaging 500 meters deep, holds over 100 million tonnes of proven reserves. This project positions the Chinese mainland as a leader in next-generation offshore engineering, with deployment expected to significantly boost regional energy output.
