Govt delegation to name FPSO for Ghana Jubilee Project

Accra, April 28, GNA - A high-powered Ghanaian delegation will assemble at the dockside of Singapore's Jurong Shipyard on Saturday, May 1, to participate in the naming of the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Vessel of the Jubilee Project.

The delegation, which would witness one of the most anticipated milestones of the Jubilee Phase One Development Project include Government officials and Chief Executives of the partners of Jubilee Project. The construction of the FPSO began in 2008 and involved the conversion of an existing VLCC tanker by MODEC, a leading international company in the FPSO industry that has been providing engineering, construction, installation and operation services for the last 25 years. The FPSO will set sail for its base in the Jubilee Field, offshore the western coast of Ghana two weeks after it has been named. Mr. Sateesh K. Dev, President and Head of Global FPSO Execution of MODEC said: "The standard and quality of the FPSO is world class. This is one of the fastest conversions of a vessel into an FPSO that we have undertaken.

"To achieve this we have leveraged on our existing field-proven designs and used high-end suppliers and fabricators to ensure quality and reliability of equipment and systems."

Mr. Dev said as one of the world's leading FPSO general contractors, MODEC can assure the Government and people of Ghana and the Jubilee partners that "FPSO is one of our best FPSO's built so far".

The naming of the FPSO is a significant milestone in the entire Jubilee Phase One development programme as it is a key indication that the Jubilee Partners remain on schedule to deliver First Oil in fourth quarter of this year.

It also reaffirm s the commitment of the partners to the project, and underlines their capacity to manage and produce the Jubilee Field. During the period of construction of the FPSO, a number of delegations have visited Singapore to acquaint themselves with the progress of work. The delegation includes personnel from the Ministry of Energy, Ghana National Petroleum Company and other Jubilee partners. Six weeks ago, a high powered Ghanaian media delegation also visited the construction site at the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore to see the progress of work for themselves.

All the delegations that have visited the FPSO have been hugely impressed by the sheer scale of the vessel and the work required to undertake the massive project.

The FPSO uses the biggest turret ever constructed in the oil industry and can process 120,000 barrels of oil a day. It has a storage capacity of 1.6 million barrels.

With a width of 65 meters, and 330 meters in length, the FPSO is about the size of three standard football fields put together. It has 17 modules weighing more then 12,500 tons installed on it. The modules include a water treatment plant, crude separation plant, chemical injection plant, gas process and injection plant, the turret, electricity generation plant, and 120-room accommodation.

Mr. Dai Jones, President and General Manager of Tullow Ghana Limited, Operator of the Jubilee Field, said, "The pace of construction of the FPSO, its magnitude and complexity, and the state-of-the-art technology deployed, demonstrate that the Jubilee Phase One project will set new standards for oil production.

"Our investment in the project also demonstrates that we are in Ghana for the long haul - to help develop Ghana's oil potential," he said. Tullow operates 34.7 per cent of the Jubilee Field and is partnered by GNPC (13.75 per cent), Anadarko Petroleum (23.49 per cent), Kosmos (23.49 per cent), Sabre Oil and Gas (2.81 per cent) and EO Group (1.75 per cent).