Completion of the Main Structure of Asia’s First 300-meter Class Deepwater Jacket

Date：2021-12-21

The final assembly of the main structure of Asia’s first 300-meter class deepwater jacket——the jacket of Lufeng 15-1 Oilfield in the east of the South China Sea, a project undertaken by the COOEC as the general contractor, was completed on December 7. The successful completion of this jacket represents a new record in the field of offshore oil and gas projects in China and marks a new breakthrough in China’s capability to independently design and construct ultra-large fixed offshore platforms in deep waters.

A jacket can be considered the “foundation” of an offshore platform that supports the heavy load of the platform. Jacket platforms are the most commonly used structures for offshore oil and gas development in the world. There are thousands of jacket platforms in the world’s oceans and seas. However, there are only 10 jacket platforms in waters deeper than 280 meters, and most of these platforms are located in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern California open sea.

Lufeng 15-1 Oilfield is located in the east of the South China Sea. This location is affected by frequent typhoons, extreme sea states including huge tides and internal waves, and even the most difficult changes for offshore oil and gas projects in the world, such as large sand waves.

COOEC prepared an innovative plan for the design and construction of the 300-meter class deepwater jacket and developed a series of core technologies for the overall design of ultra-large jackets, the lifting of large, heavy, wide-span structures involving multiple cranes, and the dimensional control of ultra-large structures, which filled many domestic technology gaps in the design and construction ultra-large deepwater jackets.

During the construction of the jacket of Lufeng 15-1 Oilfield, more than 50 thousand joints were welded, the safe goals of “zero injury” and “zero accident” were achieved, and the overall pass rate of welds was maintained at levels higher than 99%. These achievements have provided strong support for the smooth progress of this project.

As a “national team” in the construction of offshore oil and gas projects in China, COOEC has constructed jackets for more than 300 jacket platforms. All of these platforms have already been put into operation. COOEC’s technological capability for the engineering, construction and installation of fixed offshore platforms has reached the leading level in the world.

The jacket of Lufeng 15-1 Oilfield is operating at a water depth of 300 meters. The use of such jackets is of strategic significance for oil and gas production in the deep waters of the South China Sea. It has changed the traditional mode of pure underwater production that requires large amounts of investment in this area. The lifespan of the oilfield and oil recovery can be improved significantly by prolonging the service life of jacket and expanding the jacket to create more space for adjusting well spacing.

The jacket of Lufeng 15-1 Oilfield will serve Lufeng oilfields, which have a total oil production capacity of 1.85 million tons per annum. These oilfields are of great strategic significance for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and China’s energy security.