Australian energy company Woodside Energy has announced the arrival of the Léopold Sédar Senghor floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) in Senegal.
The Léopold Sédar Senghor FPSO departed Singapore in December last year, and reached its destination in Dakar, Senegal, travelling around 100km.
The arrival of the FPSO represents a significant step toward achieving the first production from the Sangomar field, Senegal’s first offshore oil development, which is expected by mid-2024.
It also represents the start of the first phase of the Sangomar field development, which includes commissioning of the FPSO and hooking up the 23 production, gas, and water injection wells.
The Phase 1 development also includes a stand-alone FPSO with subsea infrastructure and an expected production capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day, said the company.
Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said: “The FPSO arrival brings us closer to first production which is targeted for mid-2024. We are proud to be Senegal’s first offshore oil project and firmly believe that this project will prove to be important to Senegal’s future development and prosperity.
“In addition to developing Senegal’s energy resources, we have already begun working with the Government of Senegal, local businesses and communities to develop programs that create business opportunities, build local capabilities, foster employment opportunities, and bring broad economic benefits as a result of our operations.
“The completion of this phase of the project is only possible through strong partnerships with the Senegalese Government, joint venture participant PETROSEN, and our contracting partners, all of whom have worked professionally and co-operatively since the final investment decision in January 2020.”
In 2020, Woodside contracted Japanese shipbuilding company MODEC to supply the FPSO, named after Senegal’s first president, Leopold Sédar Senghor.
The Leopold Sédar Senghor FPSO was previously a very large crude carrier (VLCC) and was converted into a fit-for-purpose FPSO suitable for use in the Sangomar field.
It has been designed to process 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day, 145,000 barrels of water injection per day, and with a minimum storage capacity of 1.3 million barrels of crude oil.
