Fast-track conversion transforms a supertanker into the world's largest, most intelligent FPSO

The world’s largest Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel was put into operation in the Gulf of Mexico KMZ field by BW Offshore for Pemex in late June 2007. The 360,700-ton, single-hull supertanker Berge Enterprise was converted in less than two years into a mobile facility capable of processing 600,000 bopd and 120 MMcfd of gas, Table 1. An integrated engineering and construction team for the vessel’s process automation systems, led by BW Offshore and Emerson Process Management, maintained a fast-track schedule and achieved other significant goals. The “intelligent” FPSO uses a high degree of digital instrumentation, making maximum use of field diagnostics for operation and maintenance. Fabrication and installation costs were limited through tight management and modular construction of topside process units. While modularization is not new, having the automation system built into each functional process unit during pre-fabrication was revolutionary.