Block 18 FPSO

The Greater Plutonio oil field off Angola presents a number of challenges to the oil exploration industry, with water depths varying between 1,200m and 1,500m and reservoirs at different stratigraphic depths spread over a wide area.  The development strategy adopted to develop Block 18 of the field is a spread moored FPSO facility with a storage capacity of 2 million bbl., feeding off 43 subsea wells.  

The FPSO has been built at the Ulsan shipyard in South Korea, and consultants KBR, on behalf of customers BP Angola, awarded the FPSO Telecommunications Design and Supply contract, valued at Circa $3,000,000, to Optilan.

Optilan’s initial scope works was the design and supply of the telecommunications systems  for the accommodation module, central control room and two telecoms equipment rooms, to Factory Acceptance Test stage.

This system supplied includes:

• Onshore and offshore VSat satellite communications.
• 6 node Local Area Network
• Video Conferencing
• Inmarsat
• PABX
• 30-camera CCTV system
• PAGA
• Radio systems (UHF, Marine Band , Lifeboat, Crane, Rig telemetry etc)
• Radar
• NDB
• An Entertainment System incorporating 132 bedhead units
• Telecoms power supplies etc.

Optilan Engineers have subsequently been responsible for installing the finished system in the FPSO at the Ulsan shipyard.  Prior to full deployment in the oil field, Optilan engineers will undertake additional final commissioning works on the system and equipment in situ.