Under the vast waters of China, there are abundant low-permeability oil and gas resources. However, due to the special working environment at sea, these resources have long been "dormant" on the seabed, making it difficult to carry out large-scale profitable development like on land. Now, this situation has been completely broken.

On March 10, 2026, in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, with the sound of a whistle, the "Ocean Oil 696" hydraulic fracturing engineering ship, dressed in red silk, was officially delivered. This "offshore mobile factory" designed by Shanghai Shipbuilding Research and Design Institute under China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and built by Wuhu Shipyard will head to the Bohai Sea and other sea areas to carry out offshore oil and gas fracturing and production operations, making difficult to use oil and gas resources a new battlefield for efficient development.

the world's largest

The captain of 'Ocean Oil 696' is 99.8 meters long, with a width of 22 meters and a deck area equivalent to 3.5 standard basketball courts. Looking at the world, this ship ranks first in ship size among similar vessels and is truly a 'giant'.

It is not only large in size, but also has a powerful 'heart'. The ship is equipped with a complete set of fracturing equipment, which can perform large-scale offshore fracturing operations with high displacement and high power. Its powerful continuous operation capability and material reserve capacity enable it to pump 12 cubic meters of mortar per minute, increasing operational efficiency by nearly 40%. This means that tasks that used to require multiple ships or long hours of operation can now be efficiently completed with just one ship.

Innovative Design

In response to the global challenge of limited space for offshore operations, the design team has transformed into a "organizer" and pioneered a "layered" three-dimensional layout. They have precisely integrated the entire set of fracturing equipment onto the four decks, achieving the optimal configuration of "small space, large capacity" within a limited vessel.

At the same time, in order to meet the continuous operation needs under different sea conditions, this ship adopts a fully electric drive system for the first time among similar ships worldwide. This innovation not only significantly increases power output, but also effectively reduces carbon emissions, enabling its range to exceed 10000 nautical miles and meet the needs of all sea operations.

intelligent decision-making

The "Offshore Oil 696" is equipped with the first intelligent fracturing decision-making command center in China's offshore industry. Here, fracturing data can achieve full chain support for real-time collection, online analysis, and intelligent decision-making assistance.

This means that fracturing construction decisions are no longer solely based on the personal experience of engineers, but are upgraded to scientific judgments based on data and artificial intelligence. This intelligent upgrade not only significantly improves operational safety, but also brings about a qualitative leap in construction efficiency, injecting "smart wings" into offshore oil and gas development.

The delivery of "Offshore Oil 696" not only fills the domestic gap, but also injects strong impetus into China's offshore oil and gas development with its globally leading performance. As this' maritime mobile factory 'sails towards the deep sea, China has taken another solid step on the road to ensuring national energy security.Editor/Yang Meiling