FPSO destined for ExxonMobil’s Guyana project getting titanium reinforcements

Hunting Subsea Technologies, the Texas-based subsidiary of London-headquartered precision engineering group Hunting, has provided the connections for a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) to be deployed at a field offshore Guyana being developed by U.S energy giant ExxonMobil. 

The eight titanium stress joints (TSJs) delivered will be integrated into the FPSO unit Errea Wittu that will work at the Uaru development within the Stabroek Block. According to Hunting, Uaru is among the most important deepwater projects in the Western Hemisphere, both in scale and strategic impact. 

Once installed approximately 200 kilometers offshore Guyana, at a water depth of 1,690 meters, the vessel will be able to produce approximately 250,000 barrels of oil per day and will have associated gas treatment capacity of 540 million cubic feet per day, along with being able to store around 2 million barrels of crude oil.

“Our successful delivery to the Uaru project reflects the strength of our execution and the confidence leading operators place in Hunting when performance matters most. As offshore developments become increasingly complex and capital-intensive, we are seeing sustained demand for proven technologies that reduce risk and add long-term value,” said Dane Tipton, Managing Director of Hunting Subsea Technologies. 

Hunting claims to be the only company globally equipped to deliver titanium stress joints at the scale and quality required for full-field offshore developments. These components are said to offer fatigue resistance, structural integrity, and corrosion durability, boosting performance in deepwater and ultra-deepwater environments.

The firm, whose technology has also been deployed across projects in the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil, recently won a $31 million TSJ order for the third phase of a deepwater gas development in the Turkish part of the Black Sea.

Errea Wittu will be the fifth FPSO in the Stabroek block, and the first one coming from Japan’s MODEC. The Japanese player recently welcomed the topsides modules for the unit at the BOMESC yard in Tianjin, China. The hull sailaway ceremony took place in late June.

The final investment decision (FID) for Uaru, which is Stabroek’s fifth development, was made in April 2023. The estimated investment in the project amounts to $12.7 billion. ExxonMobil Guyana holds a 45% interest in the block, with Hess Guyana Exploration LTD (30%) and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (25%) as partners.