Sembcorp Marine has completed its scope of the Johan Castberg FPSO vessel construction project and had delivered the vessel to operator Equinor. The FPSO has set off to Norway onboard the Boskalis heavy transport vessel Boka Vanguard. Sembcorp Marine’s scope of work for the Johan Castberg FPSO vessel comprises the construction of the hull and living quarters. The 12,500-nautical-mile-long journey from Singapore to Stord, Norway, is expected to take about 50 days.
Johan Castberg is designed to FPSO hull main specifications, including Norsoks and DNV Class Rules, with improved design concept and engineering logic embracing work environment and technical safety requirements, winterization, and other ocean data prerequisites. Sembcorp Marine’s first EPC newbuild FPSO also met the requirements of the Norwegian and PSA (Petroleum Safety Authority) regulatory requirements.
Once quayside at Stord, the process modules constructed by Aker Solutions in Norway will be installed and the ship completed.
Upon completion, the FPSO is scheduled for deployment at the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea, about 240 km from Hammerfest, Norway. The FPSO hull is built to be self-contained for harsh-environment operation, with living quarters accommodating up to 140 personnel on board.
The Johan Castberg field development project’s resource base consists of the three oil discoveries—Skrugard, Havis, and Drivis— located in PL 532. The project is expected to come on stream in the fourth quarter of 2024, about a year later than originally planned. The proven volumes in Johan Castberg are estimated at between 400 and 650 million bbl of oil.
Equinor is the operator of the project with a 50% stake. Partners are Vår Energi (30%) and Petoro (20%).
