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On March 6, the construction of the cylindrical FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading unit) for the Kaiping South Oilfield development project (hereinafter referred to as the “Kaiping project”), which is being carried out by CNOOC Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd., a central state-owned enterprise based in Tianjin (hereinafter referred to as CNOOC Offshore Engineering), began at the company’s international high-end equipment manufacturing base in Qingdao. This is Asia’s largest cylindrical \"offshore oil and gas facility,\" designed and constructed independently by our country. The successful implementation of this project will significantly enhance our country’s capability to develop large-scale oil and gas equipment for deep-water operations independently, providing essential equipment support for accelerating the economic and efficient exploitation of oil and gas resources in deep seas. The Kaipingnan Oil Field is located in the eastern part of the South China Sea, with proven geological reserves exceeding 100 million tons; it is the largest oil field discovered independently by China in deep-water areas. Serving as a \"bridgehead\" for the deep-water oil and gas development in the Kaiping Depression, this project involves the construction of a 100,000-ton cylindrical FPSO, along with associated subsea pipelines and over 30 sets of subsea trees. It establishes an innovative high-efficiency full-sea development technology system based on a \"surface hub + subsea well network\" architecture using cylindrical FPSOs. The cylindrical FPSO is a new type of advanced offshore oil and gas equipment suitable for deep-water oil and gas exploration. The underwater production system of the Kaiping project sets a new record in terms of complexity in China; the weight of its FPSO hull, as well as the outer dimensions of its main deck and process deck, are the highest in the world. Its full-load displacement exceeds 170,000 tons, while its maximum oil storage capacity of 122,000 cubic meters ranks second globally. Once completed, it will become the largest cylindrical \"offshore oil and gas facility\" in Asia in terms of size and weight, with the strongest capabilities for oil and gas processing and storage. Wang Huoping, deputy general manager of the Kaiping Oilfield Development Project at CNOOC Shenzhen Company, said that the sea area where the Kaiping project is located is characterized by deep waters, being a new exploration area, and deep reservoirs; the geological conditions of these reservoirs are complex. Therefore, a dynamic strategy of \"developing while understanding the situation and making adjustments as needed\" is adopted in the development process, which places extremely high demands on the adaptability, reliability, and safety of the equipment used for development. “The FPSO for the Kaiping project features a sophisticated design that enables 30 years of operation at sea without the need to return to a dock. CNOOC has successfully overcome the scientific challenges related to motion control of large cylindrical floating structures and the suppression of coupling responses in complex pipelines; as a result, 4 original technologies were developed, and more than 10 key technologies were improved. These advancements enable effective operation in deep-water environments characterized by frequent typhoons and severe sea conditions. They further enhance China’s technical framework for designing equipment used in deep-water oil and gas exploration, leading to a significant upgrade in China’s capabilities in this field. ”Li Da, director of the Engineering Research and Design Institute at CNOOC Research Institute, explained. Compared to the \"Sea Anemone-1\" which was put into operation in 2024, the FPSO project in Kaiping poses higher requirements in terms of overall construction difficulty, technical complexity, and precision control. According to Jia Huifeng, deputy general manager of CNOOC Engineering’s Kaiping Oilfield Development General Contracting Project, the project team follows a approach based on \"digital intelligence-driven development, lean construction, and independent innovation\" to tackle challenges such as the independent design and installation of large-tonnage, complex cylindrical FPSOs and underwater production systems, with the goal of creating safe, green, and intelligent deep-sea infrastructure of top quality. In recent years, CNOOC Engineering has made continuous efforts in the independent research and development of high-end offshore oil and gas equipment. It has successfully developed a series of large-scale deep-water equipment such as \"Deep Sea 1\", \"Sea Base 1\", \"Sea Base 2\", and \"Sea Anemone 1\", and has also delivered international high-end oil and gas equipment like the Penguin FPSO to clients. By doing so, it has established a comprehensive industrial chain of equipment for deep-water oil and gas exploration and production, covering operations at the surface, in water, and underwater, thereby helping China become the third country in the world to possess the capability to develop deep-water oil and gas resources independently. Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan, CNOOC Engineering will rely on the modern industrial chain for deep-water oil and gas equipment as well as the Tianjin Marine Equipment Industry (Talent) Alliance, giving full play to its role in providing foundational support and facilitating integration. It will strive to build an ecosystem for deep-water oil and gas equipment, thereby significantly enhancing the self-sufficiency and control capabilities of China’s marine equipment industry, and providing strong support for accelerating the development of deep-sea oil and gas resources in China and ensuring energy security. (Qu Zhaogui, China Chemical Industry News)