SBM Offshore Begins Construction of FSO for Trion Field

SBM Offshore has begun constructing the Chalchi floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit for the Trion deepwater oil field off the coast of Mexico. The first steel was cut for the unit at the COSCO Shipyard in China.

The FSO is named after Chalchiuhtlicue, an Aztec water deity, and is designed to store up to 950Mb of crude oil. The unit will feature a Disconnectable Turret Mooring (DTM) system engineered by SBM Offshore. It will be moored at the Trion field in 2,300m of water and has a design life of 27 years.

SBM Offshore secured a contract with Woodside Energy, the operator of the Trion project, to build the FSO in 2024. The company is also responsible for the transportation and installation of both the FSO and the floating production unit (FPU).

The Trion project is a joint venture between Woodside Energy (60% operator) and PEMEX (40%). The FPU, which will be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea, is designed to have an oil production capacity of 100Mb/d. Woodside made the final investment decision for the project in June 2023. First oil from the field is targeted for 2028.