International joint venture brings versatility offshore

A GE joint with oil drilling and production technology company Sevan Marine ASA of Norway, Oilexco North Sea Ltd. of Scotland, and a Chinese and other international shipyards to deploy an innovative cylindrical floating oil production, storage and offloading unit that can process 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day and store 300,000 barrels.

As the search for oil shifts to areas without sub-sea pipelines and to smaller and marginal offshore fields, the floating unit offers a smaller, more cost-effective means of production, storage and offloading. Compared to other floating production, storage and offloading units, the Sevan Voyageur, based on Sevan's proprietary technology, can operate more efficiently and in harsher weather, with reduced maintenance, and is easier to re-deploy.

The Sevan Voyageur, the third unit in its class, is expected to be installed in the Shelley Field in the UK's central North Sea during the fourth quarter of this year, and will operate under a five-year contract with Oilexco North Sea Ltd, a subsidiary of Oilexco, Inc. of Canada. Yantai Raffles Shipyard in China's Shangdon Province built the hull, Norway's GKSI shipyard built the topside processing plant, and the Keppel Verolme Shipyard in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is installing the topside on the hull.

Two units of GE are joining forces with oil drilling and production technology company Sevan Marine ASA of Norway to deploy a floating oil production, storage and offloading unit - shown under construction -- that can process 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day and store 300,000 barrels