China's self developed cylindrical floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, Haikui 1, sets sail from Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, May 12, 2024. Photo provided to China News Service

China has completed the acceptance of the deepwater jacket structure Haiji-2 and Asia's first cylindrical floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, Haikui No.1, cctv.com reported on Tuesday, citing information from China National Offshore Oil Corp, the largest offshore oil and gas producer in China.

The completion of China's first deepwater oil field secondary development project represents a major breakthrough in the nation's independent construction capabilities of all types of deepwater oil and gas equipment.

Experts noted that this approach strengthens China's deepwater drilling technology and promotes the efficient development of deepwater oil and gas fields.

"The secondary development upgrades aging oil fields that are nearing their extraction limits, significantly boosting efficiency through new technologies," Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Zhang added that this is essential for strengthening China's deepwater oil field development capabilities, as advancements in maritime technology pave the way for future offshore oil field exploitation.

Zhang noted that global deep-sea energy development remains limited, with most extraction occurring on land, particularly in the Middle East. "Given the significant technological and infrastructure demands of deep-sea projects, this breakthrough not only enables oil and gas extraction within China's territorial waters but also creates opportunities to export relevant technology and equipment," Zhang said.

The Haikui No. 1 is a self-developed cylindrical FPSO facility from China. It is installed in the sea area of the Liuhua Oilfield in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, located more than 320 meters deep and about 240 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

The Haiji-2, acting as a "foundation" supporting fixed offshore oil and gas platforms where seabed conditions are challenging, can provide support for pipelines and subsea structures of an offshore platform. The jacket is a globally used marine oil and gas development type of equipment.

For instance, Haiji-2 is equipped with advanced automation systems, including a robotic arm that enables "one-click operations" across various tasks, significantly enhancing the efficiency and stability of deepwater drilling.

Both Haiji-2 and Haikui No.1 are serving China's first deepwater oil field, the Liuhua 11-1 offshore field.

On August 9, Haiji-2 was officially drilled. It was the first time that China exploited oil and gas through a fixed platform in waters with a depth of more than 300 meters.

Global Times