FPSO operations and maintenance

The exploration and production of oil and gas reserves in deep water is a relatively new undertaking compared to the marine industry, which has been around in different forms for centuries. With the development of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) installations, the two industries are married together in an effective union. The first FPSOs were conversions with simple processing facilities selected for the development of small oil fields with a short life expectancy, and they were in competition with the fixed platforms. The latest FPSOs are typically newbuilds with complex facilities used almost exclusively for developing deep water oil fields and reserves located in geographically isolated regions. Most of the early FPSOs were conversions, mainly because a surplus of tankers on the world market meant that many sound hulls were available at reasonable prices.