FPSO/FSO: State of the art

Floating productions systems have been utilized in remote offshore areas without a pipeline infrastructure for many years. However, they have become even more important with the push by the offshore industry into ever deeper waters. Floating production, storage, and offloading/floating storage and offloading (FPSO/FSO) systems have now become one of most commercially viable concepts for remote or deep-water oilfield developments. In this article, the advantages of FPSO systems are explained, and their present status of maturity and utilization around the world is reviewed. Recent trends in mooring systems, hull construction, safety, and operational issues are summarized from a technical viewpoint. Finally, the technical challenges and future prospects of two significant growth areas, i.e., gas-field development and deep-water development, are discussed. Received: June 24, 2002 / Accepted: July 17, 2002 Address correspondence to: Y. Shimamura (shimamura@modec.co.jp)