Within the oil and gas industry, the arena of offshore facilities is subject to the same emphases and initiatives as its terrestrial counterpart. Decarbonization and automation have become focal points for marine structures and systems. This year’s selections, contributed to by reviewer Jefferson Couto, reflect an emphasis on emissions reduction and facilities repurposing for carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) projects as well as advances in automation and unattended operations.
Paper SPE 37089 explores the application of a modular, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor to a Very Large Crude Carrier-class floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO). Highlighting a coherent case-study framework rather than detailed design optimization, the authors write that economics suggest that, for FPSOs burning associated gas, nuclear power remains disadvantaged in some aspects compared with gas turbines, but that a nuclear system’s associated, quantifiable emissions reductions, partially monetizable through carbon pricing and credit mechanisms, can offset a significant share of nuclear capital cost and make nuclear-powered FPSOs a credible decarbonization option for high-throughput offshore production.
Combined-cycle power-generation technology, in which gas turbines and steam turbines are used together to convert fuel into electricity, is the focus of paper SPE 225466. The paper describes the potential of combined-cycle technology in CCUS applications for offshore facilities, especially when used in tandem with an exhaust-gas-recycling approach. The authors write that combined-cycle technology, which offers 22–25% reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, is poised to make important strides into expanding offshore CCUS efforts.
Finally, paper SPE 225805 discusses the process of assessing an aging offshore complex for the largest CCUS project in southeast Asia. Structural-integrity evaluations were used to check corrosion status as the platform nears the end of its design life. The paper uses the structural-integrity-management framework to evaluate the chosen platforms, highlighting their potential and limitations for CCUS purposes based on in-service assessments. The authors write that successful repurposing demands a demonstrated capacity to safely contain and manage new operational loads, resist CO2’s chemical and physical effects, and withstand cumulative aging for the entire service duration.
Recommended papers highlight reuse of decommissioned facilities for CCUS, autonomous marine interventions, and a conceptual study for an unattended FPSO offshore Brazil.
Summarized Papers in This September 2026 Issue
OTC 37089 Concept Design of Nuclear-Powered FPSO Achieves Sustainable Offshore Energy by Mayir Mamtimin, SPE, Jorge Segovia, and Jin Wang, American Bureau of Shipping, et al.
SPE 225466 Combined-Cycle Approach Holds Potential for Offshore-Facility Carbon Capture by Pål Kloster, CTO Energy and Techouse AS
SPE 225805 Framework Enables Evaluation of Aging Offshore Platforms for CCS by Nur D.B. Alias, Bak S. Wong, and Ahmad R.A. Rahman, Petronas, et al.
Recommended Additional Reading
SPE 231713 Conceptual Study for a Normally Unattended Facility FPSO Offshore Brazil by C.A. De Miranda Nascimento, Petrobras, et al.
SPE 226687 Transforming Offshore-Asset Integrity: The Future of Autonomous Marine Intervention by A. Saif Ahmed Alshhehi, ADNOC, et al.
SPE 225851 FPSO and Carbon-Capture-Storage Injection-Unit Integration as an Offshore Decommissioned Facility-Reutilization Alternative by M. Valentia, Baker Hughes, et al.
Jefferson Couto, SPE, is a production manager for Shell in Brazil. He has more than 20 years of experience in asset management, production management, and upstream operations. He holds MBA degrees in oil and gas from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and in project management from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. Couto’s research interests include energy transition; floating production, storage, and offloading vessels; and innovation.