South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean has secured ABS Basic Design Review certification for a standard FPSO aimed at deepwater projects in South America and West Africa, according to a statement from the US classification organisation.
The review covers Hanwha Ocean’s front-end engineering design and included core design documentation and technical standards for the hull, topsides and mooring arrangement.
ABS also issued an Approval in Principle for design features intended to meet its SUSTAIN-2 notation requirements, as well as a Statement of Fact covering Hanwha Ocean’s Project Sustainability Execution Plan.
The plan links sustainability requirements to engineering deliverables, key performance indicators, responsibilities and verification evidence.
Hanwha Ocean is developing the Low Carbon Standard FPSO as part of a move from project-specific designs towards repeatable platforms intended to reduce execution time and improve cost competitiveness.
The company had disclosed the BDR on 26 July, when it said its standard FPSO FEED optimised for the South American market had secured ABS certification and Approval in Principle from DNV.
That design complements a separate standard FPSO pre-FEED for deepwater fields in West Africa that received approvals in principle from ABS and Bureau Veritas in 2024.
In August, Hanwha Ocean said its Low Carbon Standard FPSO design framework had received approvals in principle from ABS and DNV, with reusable technology packages planned for future bidding, FEED and project execution.
ABS senior vice president for global offshore markets Matt Tremblay said South America and West Africa are focal areas for global deepwater production.
Hanwha Ocean Energy Plant Unit president Philippe Levy said the company plans to use its standard FPSO platform to strengthen its competitiveness and provide designs tailored to requirements in major offshore regions.
Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, is a South Korean shipbuilding and offshore engineering company headquartered in Geoje. It became part of Hanwha in 2023 and operates across commercial shipbuilding, offshore facilities and naval vessels.
ABS is a US-based classification organisation providing classification and technical services to the marine and offshore industries.