Sangomar FPSO conversion under way in China

April 2, 2021
Conversion of the VLCC Astipal to the FPSO Léopold Sédar Senghor is expected to take about two years.

Offshore staff

PERTH, Australia – In mid-February, the VLCC Astipal arrived at the COSCO shipyard in Dalian, China, for conversion to an FPSO for Woodside’s Sangomar field offshore Senegal.

This followed a 4,000 km-plus (2,485-mi) journey from Batam, Indonesia.

According to the latest edition of Woodside’s in-house magazine Trunkline, conversion is expected to take about two years.

By the time it berthed in Dalian, the vessel had been named FPSO Léopold Sédar Senghor after Senegal’s first president from 1960 to 1980.

“He was a poet, politician, fought in the French army, and was a very popular person both at home in Senegal and in France,” said Mike Campbell, FPSO delivery manager.

In January 2020, Woodside and MODEC signed the FPSO supply contract.

The FPSO Léopold Sédar Senghor, to be located 100 km (62 mi) south of Dakar, is due to be delivered in 2023. It will be moored in 780 m (2,559 ft) of water via an external turret mooring system supplied by SOFEC.

It is designed to process 100,000 b/d of crude and 130 MMcf/d of gas, also providing 145,000 b/d of water injection and minimum storage of 1.3 MMbbl of oil.

Phase 1 of the Sangomar field development is targeting about 230 MMbbl of crude oil, at an initial peak rate of 100,000 b/d.

04/02/2021