Houston, June 15, 2020 – SOFEC, Inc. (“SOFEC”) announced today that the CNOOC China Limited Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel HYSY121, employing the SOFEC Internal Disconnectable Turret System, has been installed successfully and start-up operations have commenced. The Disconnectable Turret was integrated into this replacement FSO in Shenzhen, China, and was successfully connected to the existing Lufeng 13-2 Field Moorings in the South China Sea.
SOFEC delivered the Internal Disconnectable Turret System for the FSO Project on December 29, 2019, however, delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic slowed integration, commissioning, and final hookup offshore. On May 2nd, the completed system sailed from CNOOC’s integration yard in Shenzhen, China, to its final offshore location in the South China Sea. The FSO was successfully moored on May 6th, with operations commencing on May 7th.
The SOFEC Internal Disconnectable Turret System for this field was originally designed and installed in 1993. It moored a MODEC converted 121,361 dwt FSO vessel in the typhoon alley area offshore China in 141 meters of water.
The internal disconnectable turret mooring system was chosen to allow the FSO to disconnect and sail to safe harbor as typhoons approach. The FSO could then return to the field and reconnect after the typhoon had passed. Under normal operating conditions, the turret allows the FSO facility to continually rotate into prevailing weather without production interruptions.
In 2012, SOFEC replaced the mooring legs and submerged buoy of the original system as part of the field life extension. This new vessel and turret were designed to connect to the existing buoy and moorings, and to provide a fluid flow path for the riser.
Rick Hall, SOFEC’s CEO stated: “We are pleased to provide our continued support to CNOOC on this important project. The original disconnectable system performed many successful disconnects and reconnects over the past 26 years. This new system is expected to carry that same reliability over the next 30 years.
I’d like to give special thanks to our integration, hook-up and installation teams for their diligence, especially in dealing with isolation during quarantine mandates, and at a time when most of the rest of us were sheltered at home away from the COVID-19 pandemic. These individuals, along with those that provided remote support via conference and video calls at all hours of the day and night, were key in getting this work completed successfully.
SOFEC looks forward to a long and successful future for this project and with CNOOC in particular.”
About SOFEC
SOFEC is a leader in engineering and construction of Single Point Mooring and Spread Mooring solutions.
SOFEC’s Mooring Solutions include a broad range of applications for tanker based floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO / FSO) systems installed in water depths ranging from shallow to ultra-deep. They include:
- Internal Disconnectable Turrets
- Internal Permanent Turrets
- External Turrets
- Spread Mooring Systems
- Tower Yoke Mooring Systems
- Import / Export CALMs and SALMs
Building on the strengths and capabilities that have made it an industry leader, SOFEC continues to find new and innovative ways to meet changing industry requirements and satisfy customer expectations.