Eni awards Wison New Energies major EPCIC contract for Baleine Phase 3 FPSO
Wison New Energies has officially signed the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) contract for a new FPSO vessel destined for Eni’s Baleine Phase 3 development offshore Côte d’Ivoire.
The contract, signed with Eni and Altera Infrastructure, marks a key milestone in the full-field expansion of one of West Africa’s largest recent offshore oil and gas projects. Altera will own and operate the FPSO under a fixed 15-year bareboat charter.
The newbuild FPSO, to be constructed in China by Wison, is designed to process up to 90,000 barrels of oil per day, 160 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas, and 80,000 barrels per day of produced water, while providing 1.4 million barrels of crude storage capacity.
Once Phase 3 comes on stream, total production from the Baleine field is expected to reach approximately 150,000 barrels of oil per day and 200 MMscfd of gas, with all produced gas allocated to Côte d’Ivoire’s domestic market to support power generation and industrial growth.
The development builds on the fast-track, phased approach that has defined the Baleine project since its discovery. Eni and partners Petroci and Vitol sanctioned Phase 3 via Final Investment Decision in May 2026, just months after earlier phases using redeployed and upgraded floating units began production.
“This contract demonstrates Wison’s growing capabilities in delivering full-cycle FPSO solutions,” the company said, highlighting the project as an important milestone in its offshore energy portfolio.
The Baleine field, located in water depths ranging from 700 to 1,300 meters approximately 70 km offshore, continues to strengthen Côte d’Ivoire’s position as a regional energy hub following Eni’s rapid development timeline from discovery to first oil.
About the Author
Bruce Beaubouef
Managing Editor
Bruce Beaubouef is Managing Editor for Offshore magazine. In that capacity, he plans and oversees content for the magazine; writes features on technologies and trends for the magazine; writes news updates for the website; creates and moderates topical webinars; and creates videos that focus on offshore oil and gas and renewable energies. Beaubouef has been in the oil and gas trade media for 25 years, starting out as Editor of Hart’s Pipeline Digest in 1998. From there, he went on to serve as Associate Editor for Pipe Line and Gas Industry for Gulf Publishing for four years before rejoining Hart Publications as Editor of PipeLine and Gas Technology in 2003. He joined Offshore magazine as Managing Editor in 2010, at that time owned by PennWell Corp. Beaubouef earned his Ph.D. at the University of Houston in 1997, and his dissertation was published in book form by Texas A&M University Press in September 2007 as The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: U.S. Energy Security and Oil Politics, 1975-2005.