At the helm of worldwide oil exploration

Jan 15 2008 By The Journal

A TYNESIDE marine design company is at the forefront of oil exploration developments worldwide.

The Babcock Design and Technology (BD&T) Tyneside team is currently at the forefront of work on no fewer that six FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) and FSO (Floating Storage and Offloading) projects for global customers.

These vessels, once deployed, will be located in South American, African, Russian, Australian and Middle Eastern waters. The current high oil price is increasing the viability of marginal fields making the option of locating a FPSO installation into inhospitable and remote sea areas a viable and competitive option.

In the recent past the team was deeply involved in the Bonga FPSO, which was completed by Amec in 2003. This vessel is now producing oil from a field off the coast Nigeria.

But the Bonga is dwarfed by one current BD&T project at the early stages of develop-ment for a major client.

The Bonga is 295 metres long and 58 metres wide. The newest design, for deployment in Russian ice-filled waters, measures in at 600 metres long by 85 metres wide – that’s as long as six football pitches. On another of the current projects, for Single Buoy Mooring (SBM), BD&T is working on an exciting new development for the design of a LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) FPSO.

BD&T personnel based in the SBM Monaco office are currently engaged in the basic design of the machinery spaces. An agreement has now also been signed between SBM and a shipyard in Japan, for construction of the LNG FPSO hull.

BD&T Tyneside has competed more than 18 FPSO/FSO projects during the last 10 years.