On April 11, Wuhu Shipyard held a ceremony to start the construction of the world’s largest and the first large-scale offshore oilfield well stimulation vessel built for China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
Designed by Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI), the well stimulation vessel is an integrated fracking vessel whose overall performance has reached the world advanced level. With an overall length of 99.9 meters, a beam of 22 meters and a depth of 9.9 meters, the vessel will meet the new demands for large-scale fracturing operations in the whole sea area of China, batch fracturing operations in multiple wells at sea as well as gas wells and ultra-deep fracturing operations, and will fill in the blanks of fracturing technology and engineering in offshore oilfields in China. This vessel is mainly used for offshore low permeability oil and gas field potential reserves exploitation.
The vessel is also equipped with fluid supply equipment, mixing equipment, sand mixing equipment, sand storage and delivery equipment and other material storage and supply equipment, etc. All the specialized equipment for oilfield production enhancement operations are arranged in the cabin (in the main hull), which can effectively reduce the impact of the sea conditions. The capacity of key fracturing equipment carried by the vessel is among the highest in the world.
The speed of the vessel can reach more than 13 knots. It adopts all-electric propulsion form, equipped with two electric propulsion full rotary thrusters, one telescopic thruster and two bow thrusters, and its power positioning capability reaches DP 2 level. It can carry out fracturing operation under the environmental conditions of Class 7 wind, 3 meters righteous wave height and 1.5 knots, and safely navigate under the environmental conditions of Class 8 sea state and Beaufort Scale of Class 10 wind.
