Dutch SBM Offshore has accumulated orders for 13 hulls for floating production vessels

Dutch offshore energy engineering company SBM Offshore has disclosed the latest project review for its Fast4Ward standardized hull construction program. The program has ordered a total of 13 floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) hulls, of which 8 have been placed in operation or delivered to projects under construction, while the other 5 are under construction at three shipyards. The hulls have been used for deepwater oil and gas development projects in Guyana, Brazil and Suriname, with Chinese shipyards undertaking hull construction for the program.

The Fast4Ward program began in August 2017, when SBM Offshore ordered the first generic hull from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) in China; it was later used for the Liza Unity FPSO for Guyana’s Liza Phase 2 development. The unit achieved first oil on February 11, 2022, and is designed for crude oil production capacity of 220,000 bpd, natural gas processing capacity of 400 MMcf/d, and crude oil storage capacity of about 2 million bbl. The hull uses a standardized design, with topsides oil and gas processing modules configured according to the production requirements of the specific field.

The hull orders subsequently entered several deepwater oil and gas projects in South America. The first six hulls were used respectively for the Liza Unity, Prosperity and ONE GUYANA FPSOs in Guyana, and the Sepetiba, Almirante Tamandaré and Alexandre de Gusmão FPSOs in Brazil. The seventh hull was allocated to Guyana’s Whiptail development, planned for the Jaguar FPSO, targeting first oil in 2027; the eighth hull is for Suriname’s GranMorgu project, targeting production in 2028.

In May 2026, SBM Offshore secured two FPSO contracts from Petrobras for SEAP-I and SEAP-II, equipped with the 11th and 12th standardized hulls, respectively. Both units are designed for crude oil production capacity of 120,000 bpd and are scheduled for delivery in 2031 and 2030, respectively, and will be equipped with associated gas processing and export facilities. Guyana’s Longtail project was allocated another hull; the proposed FPSO is designed for natural gas processing capacity of 1.2 Bcf/d and condensate production capacity of 250,000 bpd, and subsequent project construction remains subject to a final investment decision and relevant approvals.

On June 29, SBM Offshore signed a construction contract for the 13th hull with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. The hull, designated MPF7, is the seventh generic hull of the same series undertaken by SWS; it is designed for crude oil storage capacity of up to 2.3 million bbl and accommodation for up to 240 people. On August 6, in its half-year results announcement, SBM Offshore confirmed that 5 of the 13 hulls remain under construction, of which 3 already have corresponding development projects and 2 are intended to support bids for potential client projects.

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