A 100,000-metric-tonne deep-water semi-submersible oil production and storage facility on Saturday arrived at a gas field off south China's island province of Hainan and started installation.
The energy station, named "Deep Sea No.1," was independently developed and built by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Ltd., China's largest offshore oil producer.
The Lingshui 17-2 gas field is China's first deep-water self-operated gas field, with an average operational water depth of 1,500 meters, according to CNOOC.
The Deep Sea No.1 was delivered on Jan. 14 from the Yellow Sea off east China's Shandong Province all the way down for the development of the Lingshui 17-2 gas field off Hainan.
The delivery represents a breakthrough for China in deep-water oil and gas field development and offshore engineering equipment construction capabilities.
Nearly 80 workers had set off for the target sea area on Friday to prepare for the facility's arrival, said Liu Kongzhong, deputy general manager of CNOOC's Lingshui 17-2 project group, adding that the facility is expected to become operational in June.
The Deep Sea No.1 has a maximum displacement of 110,000 tonnes. With a designed service life of 150 years, the facility has a maximum oil storage capacity of 20,000 cubic meters.
Editor: Galia
