Oil production starts at fourth FPSO unit in the Gulf of Mexico

On September 2 at the ultra-deep-sea Stones field in the Gulf of Mexico, oil production began on board FPSO Turritella, a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel owned and operated by a consortium that includes NYK and has been entrusted by Shell Offshore Inc., a group of Royal Dutch Shell plc., to lead the FPSO operation, NYK said in its press release.
 
FPSO Turritella is the fourth FPSO vessel for NYK. The vessel makes use of a state-of-the-art turret that allows the vessel to quickly flee from hurricanes that frequently occur in the area.
 
The Stones field is the deepest (2,900 meters below the surface) an FPSO has ever operated. This FPSO is owned by a shareholder consortium comprising SBM Offshore N.V. (Netherlands) and a joint venture company between NYK and the Mitsubishi Corporation. The shareholder consortium has a 10-year time charter contract with Shell Offshore Inc. to operate the FSPO.
 
In accordance with its “More Than Shipping 2018” medium-term management plan, NYK will continue to make use of its extensive technical know-how to expand and develop its business in the offshore industry, which is expected to grow remarkably.