Drydocks World transforms oil tanker into FPSO destined for Nigeria’s oil field

November 24, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

The UAE-headquartered marine and offshore services provider Drydocks World Dubai, a part of DP World, has confirmed a sail-away ceremony for a recently converted floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel bound to be deployed at an oil field off the coast of Nigeria, Africa.

While announcing the completion of a major conversion project, Drydocks World disclosed the delivery of the FPSO Emem to power Nigeria’s offshore energy growth by enhancing hydrocarbon production at the Okwok oil field in offshore petroleum mining lease 15.

This unit is set to help the African country in advancing its energy development and self-reliance goals. The sail-away ceremony was held after Drydocks World carried out a comprehensive refurbishment and conversion of the vessel at its Dubai facility.

The project entailed structural modifications, full marine system upgrades, and the installation and integration of 19 topside production and utility modules, transforming the former oil tanker into a fully operational offshore production unit.

Captain Rado Antolovic, CEO of Drydocks World, explained that the FPSO conversion was commissioned by World Carrier Corporation (WCC) on behalf of Oriental Energy Resources Limited (OERL).

The FPSO Emem will be able to process up to 70,000 barrels of total liquids per day, manage roughly 15 million standard cubic feet of gas daily, and store up to one million barrels of crude oil.

Designed to operate continuously for up to 15 years without drydocking, the unit is slated to begin production in Q1 2026.

The FPSO was officially named in December 2024 during a ceremony at Drydocks World, attended by Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, along with senior government, industry, and partner representatives.

With a portfolio of over 50 major vessel refurbishment and conversion projects, including more than 30 FPSO deliveries, Drydocks World claims that the completion of the FPSO Emem reinforces its role in advancing offshore energy infrastructure across Nigeria and the wider African region.

The company secured refurbishment and life extension works for another FPSO, which is being revamped to expand its work in West Africa for 15 more years following the enhancement.