Deep in the South China Sea, a cylindrical steel giant stands quietly. When the 53rd ship of crude oil slowly departed from Haikui No.1, the export volume of the secondary development project of Liuhua Oilfield exceeded 2 million tons. This Asia's first cylindrical FPSO is verifying the development model of revitalizing China's deep-water old oil fields with practical data.

On October 3, 2026, the North Sea oil tanker was decommissioned and berthed. The first cylindrical FPSO Haikui 1 in Asia, which has been in operation for two years, has completed its 53rd oil extraction, and the crude oil export volume of the secondary development project of Liuhua Oilfield has exceeded 2 million tons. The secondary development model of China's deepwater old oil fields has been validated in practical applications, providing replicable experience for increasing production in complex deepwater reservoirs.

Building an independent chain

Liuhua Oilfield is located in the the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the South China Sea, with a water depth of about 305 meters, including Liuhua 11-1 Oilfield and Liuhua 4-1 Oilfield. The project relies on Haikui No.1, Haiji No.2, and underwater systems to establish a fully independent deepwater oil and gas production chain, with 32 wells put into operation and a maximum daily crude oil production of 3900 tons. Liuhua Oilfield is China's first deep-water reef limestone oilfield, and its development is difficult. After more than 20 years of mining, there are still 140 million tons of reserves waiting to be utilized. The research team spent ten years tackling key issues, forming a technology system for stabilizing oil and controlling water in reef limestone, improving oilfield recovery rates, and extending the production life by 30 years.

Smart control strengthens maritime safety

The sea conditions in the South China Sea are complex. The project optimizes the crude oil export process, innovates the dual export points+dual stern towing mode, and is equipped with a monitoring and early warning system. The utilization rate of the operation window exceeds 90%. With the help of digital twins, intelligent control is achieved, supporting production under typhoon conditions. Since its launch, there have been zero accidents in exports and all oil products have been qualified. Keywords: FPSO, deepwater oil and gas, crude oil export

Haikui No.1 has no conventional FPSO wind vane effect, and the project has set up dual export points according to local conditions. Equipped with the first bow loading system in China, the matching oil tanker can complete crude oil transportation in complex sea conditions, with a maximum single shipment of 450000 barrels of oil, achieving autonomous control of the entire deep-sea oil and gas chain. This export exceeded 2 million tons, validating the platform+cylindrical FPSO development model and forming a scalable deepwater oil and gas solution for China. The next step will be to refine operation and maintenance equipment, regulate oil reservoirs, and continuously release production capacity.Editor/Gong Ziwei