Gas

FPSO arrives at GTA destination offshore Mauritania and Senegal

The FPSO vessel is currently being moored at the site 40km offshore in a water depth of 120m. (Image source: bp)

The floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, a key component of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) Phase 1 LNG development, has arrived at its final location offshore on the maritime border of Mauritania and Senegal

The FPSO vessel is currently being moored at the site 40km offshore in a water depth of 120m. It will be operated by bp, on behalf of the project’s partners: bp, Kosmos Energy, PETROSEN and SMH. The project will produce gas from reservoirs in deep water, approximately 120km offshore, through a subsea system.

Following completion of its construction at the COSCO Qidong Shipyard, China, the FPSO has travelled more than 12,000 nautical miles to the GTA site.

“bp is investing in today’s energy system - and tomorrow’s too, and GTA Phase 1 represents this investment in action,” said Dave Campbell, bp’s senior vice president, Mauritania and Senegal.

“And this is a huge landmark step for the project, an innovative LNG development that is leading the way in unlocking gas resources for Mauritania and Senegal. The FPSO vessel has travelled halfway around the globe and its safe arrival and installation is testament to the resilience, skills, teamwork and huge effort of all the partners involved. We are now entirely focused on safe completion of the project as we continue to work towards first gas.”

The GTA Phase 1 development is expected to produce around 2.3 million tonnes of LNG annually for more than 20 years. It is the first gas development in this new basin offshore Mauritania and Senegal. With wells located in water depths of up to 2,850m, the GTA Phase 1 development has the deepest subsea infrastructure in Africa. The multibillion-dollar investment has been granted the status of National Project of Strategic Importance by the Presidents of both Mauritania and Senegal.

The FPSO will have up to 140 people on board during normal operation. With an area equivalent to two football fields and 10-storeys in height, the FPSO is made of more than 81,000 tonnes of steel, 37,000m of pipe spools and 1.52 million meters of cable.

The FPSO is expected to process over 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. It will remove water, condensate and impurities from the gas before transferring it via pipeline to the Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) vessel at the Hub Terminal approximately 10km offshore. At the FLNG vessel, the gas will be cryogenically cooled, liquefied and stored before being transferred to LNG carriers for export, while some is allocated to help meet growing demand in the two host countries.

Fluenta, SEGITEC to advance flaring management in North Africa

engineers before an oil and gas refinery

Fluenta's mission to help operators comply with environmental regulations is complemented by SEGITEC's expertise in providing value-added services. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Innovations provider Fluenta has partnered with control and instrumentation solutions integrator SEGITEC to introduce its ultrasonic sensing technology for flare gas control to operators from North Africa

With a well-established presence in the North African market, the deal makes SEGITEC the region's official distributor of Fluenta's services. Fluenta's advanced flare management services have been installed in Nigeria's Dangote Refinery as well.

"We are excited to partner with Fluenta, a company that shares our vision for a sustainable future," said Omar Ben Ayed, SEGITEC's CEO. "This partnership is a significant milestone, as it allows us to offer energy companies in North Africa and Gabon the best-in-class solutions to meet tightening environmental standards. Together, we are committed to empowering the region's oil, gas, and petrochemical industries to achieve their environmental goals while maintaining operational excellence."

Supporting operators

In line with the Paris Agreement, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimising environmental impact are top priorities for petrochemical and oil and gas companies, and flare management forms a significant part of it. Majors such as BakerHughes and bp had introduced the flare.IQ technology earlier this year to monitor emissions from flares.

Algeria has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 22% by 2030, Tunisia increased its ambition in the revised National Determined Contribution (NDC) by setting a conditional emissions reduction target of 45% below 2010 levels by 2030, and Gabon included a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

Fluenta's technology is capable of further complementing these goals with its real-time data configuration for prompt identification and action to block emmissions. It supports operators with regulatory compliance, operational optimisation, and safety.

Julian Dudley-Smith, Fluenta managing director said, "Fluenta's mission to help operators comply with environmental regulations is complemented by SEGITEC's expertise in providing value-added services, which include project management, engineering, commissioning, operations, and maintenance. The partnership will support operators' decarbonisation plans, enhance environmental credentials, and ensure compliance with regulations and safety standards."

SEGITEC and Fluenta will be displaying at NAPEC 2024 from 14-16 October in Algeria.