PetroSA to refurbish 44-yr-old floating oil facility
National oil company PetroSA announced earlier this month that it was towing the Orca floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility from the offshore Oribi and Oryx oilfields to the Port of Ngqura, in Port Elizabeth, to begin a 12-month refurbishment and upgrade on the 44-year-old facility.
RefurbishmentDue to arrive at the port during the course of next week, the Orca, which had, since 2008, been used to produce oil from the oilfield some 120 km south-west of Mossel Bay, would be refitted and refurbished to meet the requirements of a Special Period Survey (SPS) certification.
An SPS licence is a require-ment of the American Bureau of Shipping Standards (ABS), which is one of the world’s leading authorities on the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.
An ABS-approved licence would ensure the Orca’s class certification was up to date and that it would be able to continue production activities.
PetroSA Group CEO Nosizwe Nokwe-Macamo said in a statement that the FPSO facility had served the national oil company well over the period it was in operation on Block 9 of the Oribi and Oryx oilfields.
“We were able to produce 46-million barrels of crude oil while the Orca was in operation at the oilfields,” she commented.
The Orca, which was originally a drilling rig that underwent conversion into a floating production platform in 1997, would be anchored at the harbour for an initial 12-month period, which may be extended, if required.
PetroSA and the Transnet National Ports Authority had entered into an agreement to berth the vessel at the port, which stipulated that the facility would not carry crude oil while in port and would only use diesel fuel to operate its generators.
“While docked, we will ensure that we comply with all environmental legisla-tion,” Nokwe-Macamo assured.
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