THE FLOATING production storage and offloading unit for Santos Ltd’s Barossa Field in the Timor Sea was officially named BW Opal at topsides builder Seatrium’s Singapore yard on Saturday [15 February].
BW Offshore claims it is one of the largest and most technically advanced ever built: “A landmark project for BW Offshore and industry collaboration … a remarkable journey since its inception in 2020.
“With sustainability at its core, it incorporates energy-efficient technologies that reduce CO₂ emissions by 15%, saving up to 2.3 million tonnes over its lifespan. Its combined-cycle gas turbines with waste heat recovery cut energy consumption by up to 66%, maximising both efficiency and environmental performance,” BWO said.
BW Opal FPSO stands as one of the largest and most technically advanced units ever built, with a hull length of 358 metres and a width of 64 metres. It will have a gas handling capacity of 850 million standard cubic feet per day and a design capacity of 11,000 barrels per day of stabilised condensate. The unit will be turret moored, with a hull built using BW Offshore’s innovative RapidFramework® design engineered to support advanced topsides, which weigh in at 45,000 tons.
“With the naming of our new flagship BW Opal, we have reached a milestone we have been looking forward to for almost four years,” Marco Beenen, CEO BW Offshore, said.
“BW Opal is a demonstration of the competence we have as an organisation, but it is also a testimony to the resilience of the project team who executed this project in challenging years—navigating COVID, inflation, and global supply chain disruptions. A big thank you to everyone involved.
The final construction phase, which began with the hull’s arrival in Singapore in November 2023, has included several major milestones, culminating in the final module lift in May 2024. Ongoing integration and commissioning work ensures that the unit will meet the highest safety, efficiency, and reliability standards as the unit gets ready to commence production, the company says.
Santos’s controversial $5.8 billion Barossa gas-condensate project, located 300 km north of Darwin, is due to begin production this year after years of legal and environmental challenges. It features six subsea production wells, in-field production facilities (the FPSO) and a 262 km export pipeline that links to the Bayu-Undan to Darwin pipeline.
BW Opal will operate under a Lease and Operate contract worth USD 4.6 billion, with a 15-year firm period and 10 years of options.
