Recently, the largest cylindrical FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit) in Asia, independently designed and constructed by CNOOC, officially started construction in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Known as an "offshore oil and gas factory", this giant facility will serve the Kaiping 11-4 Oilfield in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, marking a crucial step forward in China’s independent research and development capacity for large-scale deepwater oil and gas equipment. As a key partner of the project, Bureau Veritas (BV) will provide classification and certification services, safeguarding the birth of this deepwater "giant" with professional expertise.

Construction of Deepwater "Bridgehead" Begins, Multiple Records to Be Broken

Located in the eastern South China Sea, the Kaiping Oilfield holds proven geological reserves of over 100 million tons, making it the largest independently discovered deepwater oilfield in China. Serving as the "bridgehead" for the development and construction of the oilfield, the newly commenced cylindrical FPSO integrates a hull, topside production facilities, and subsea production systems, innovatively forming a full-offshore development system of "surface hub + subsea well network".

This "national key equipment" boasts multiple "world’s largest" and "Asia’s largest" accolades:

• Largest dimensions: It ranks first globally in hull weight, outer diameter of the main deck and process deck.
• Leading oil storage capacity: With a full-load displacement of over 170,000 tons and a maximum oil storage capacity of 122,000 cubic meters, it ranks second worldwide. Upon completion, it will become the cylindrical FPSO with the largest dimensions and weight, as well as the strongest oil and gas processing and storage capacity in Asia.
• Extremely high design standards: The project adopts an ultra-high standard design for 30 consecutive years of offshore operation without dry-docking, posing unprecedented challenges to the reliability and safety of the equipment. Compared with the "Hai Kui Yi Hao" (Anemon 1) commissioned in 2024, the Kaiping Project imposes higher requirements in terms of overall construction difficulty, technical complexity and precision control, representing a "further upgrade" in cylindrical FPSO construction technology.

BV’s In-Depth Participation: Meeting Ultra-High Standard Challenges with Professionalism

Faced with the complex characteristics of the deepwater, new and ultra-deep waters where the Kaiping Project is located, as well as the ultra-high design requirement of "30 years without dry-docking", Bureau Veritas (BV), as the certification and classification service contractor for the project, has been deeply involved since the launch of the project’s basic design in the second half of 2025.

We integrate advanced global technical resources, adhere to the service philosophy of "Safety First, Quality Foundation, Innovation-Driven, Sustainable Development", and collaborate closely with the project team to tackle industry challenges such as motion control of large cylindrical floating bodies and complex umbilical and cable coupling responses. BV’s expert team participates deeply in every technical node, conducting classification inspections on the hull in strict accordance with BV marine classification rules, while providing certification services for the FPSO topside production facilities and subsea production systems. This ensures that this complex system complies with the world’s highest international safety standards and classification requirements from the design stage.

BV’s professional services aim to help CNOOC successfully achieve key technological breakthroughs, effectively cope with the frequent typhoons and harsh sea conditions in the deepwater areas of the South China Sea, and provide solid guarantees for the reliability and safety of the "Kaiping Project".

Four Decades of Partnership, Building a Deepwater Legacy Together

Since the classification of China’s first FPSO "Nanhai Xiwang" (South China Sea Hope) with BV in 1986, BV has forged an indissoluble bond with CNOOC. Over the past nearly 40 years, from "Nanhai Fenjin" (South China Sea Endeavor) to the "Offshore Oil" series (111, 115, 116, 118, 119), and now the "Kaiping Project", BV has witnessed and deeply participated in every leap of CNOOC from shallow waters to the deep sea.

This is not only an accumulation of commercial cooperation, but also a vivid illustration of mutual trust and win-win results between the two partners. Looking ahead, BV looks forward to continuing to provide multi-dimensional professional technical services to support CNOOC in the independent research and development of high-end oil and gas equipment, and strongly boost the accelerated development of China’s deep and far-sea oil and gas resources and the safeguarding of national energy security.

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