David Paganie
Managing Editor

ABUJA, Nigeria -- The Akpo FPSO is scheduled to sail from South Korea on May 10, 2008, to its installation site offshore Nigeria. Francois Rafin, Akpo Asset, Total, delivered project highlights to an audience at Offshore West Africa on Jan. 29.

The Akpo development includes a number of high-tech components, said Rafin. A dedicated FPSO with 72 slots and capacity to store 2 MMbbl of oil and process 225 Mboe/d, will be connected to a subsea production system comprising horizontal trees for oil production, gas and water injection, daisy-chained to four-slot manifolds. The vessel will be 12-point moored in 1,325 m (4,347 ft) of water.

Two drillships (Transocean's Deepwater Discovery and GSF Jack Ryan) and 5,000 people worldwide are dedicated to the project, according to Rafin. Locally, the project has created 2,300 news jobs in Nigeria, he said.

The Akpo FPSO's hull is being built by Hyundai Samho Shipyard – a first for the yard. The all electric vessel equipped with 150-MW Rolls Royce generators, is schedule to arrive at the installation site offshore Nigeria in September 2008. Produced gas from Akpo will be exported via 16-in. (41-cm) pipeline lined with special coating that will increase the flow rate by 20%, Rafin said.

First oil from Akpo is expected in early 2009. This will be the first of three Total-operated deepwater fields' offshore Nigeria to reach first production.

2/8/2008