ABS Wins Class Contract for FPSO
Reports indicate that ABS has been awarded the class contract for the Agbami FPSO by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. ABS will class the Star Deep Water Petroleum Ltd. (an affiliate of Chevron Corp.) newbuild unit as an XA1 FPSO, which includes review of the FPSO hull structure, topsides, processing equipment, mooring systems, utility and safety systems, as well as accommodations and the offloading systems. The integration of the topside structure with the hull structure is critical. The 13 topsides modules will weigh about 35,000 tons, requiring close review of the loads as well as calculations for the hull's strength and fatigue assessment.
Shipbuilders Cash In on Special Vessels
According to reports, South Korean shipbuilders are profiting more from selling high-value units such as offshore plants and liquid gas carriers than ever. Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, already has won a record-high $7 billion in building orders this year, which exceeds last year's record of $6.6 billion. Such high performance was largely affected by the sales of four offshore oilrig units, which amounted to $1.9 billion in total. The company also has recorded steady sales of LNG carriers, capped with a $430-million order for a pair of LNG carriers from a Norwegian company last month. Hyundai Heavy Industry is benefiting from oil prices and an increase in the demand for gas energy.
