Asia's first cylindrical floating oil-gas production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) facility, "Haikui No. 1," is poised to begin its inaugural crude oil transfer operation at the Liuhua Oilfield in the Pearl River Mouth Basin of South China Sea after over 10 days of production activities.
The complex maneuver of connecting two floating vessels at sea requires advanced technology and meticulous planning, especially considering the stringent safety, stability, and flexibility requirements for oil tankers.
"The Liuhua Oilfield experiences frequent winter monsoons and summer internal waves. To adapt to conventional oil tanker operations, 'Haikui No. 1' has two innovatively designed offloading mouths in the northeast and southwest, based on the prevailing wind direction in the area. This allows for year-round offloading operation efficiency of over 90 percent," said Xue Ting, offloading supervisor for Haikui No. 1 of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
According to the captain of the "Beihai Kaituo," the tanker features multiple operational modes. When oil is transferred from "Haikui No. 1" to the tanker, the "Beihai Kaituo" is capable of effectively controlling its bow direction and performing lifting operations autonomously, said the captain, adding that the design significantly reduces operational risks compared to conventional vessels of this type, especially in extreme weather conditions, enhancing safety and increasing loading efficiency, with a single journey capable of transporting up to 450,000 barrels of crude oil.
Zhu Xiaoheng, general manager of CNOOC International Beihai Shipping, emphasized the significance of this development.
"The 'Beihai Kaituo' tanker represents a significant innovation in its adaption to the cylindrical FPSO capabilities, playing a crucial role in the efficient development of the country's deep-water oil and gas fields," he said.
China's cylindrical floating oil-gas facility poised to begin inaugural crude oil transfer
Malaysia's closer cooperation with China in sectors like trade, tourism and the emerging industries have been helping propel the Southeast Asian nation's growth "to greater heights," said Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Malaysian Transport Minister, in commenting on the two countries' efforts to keep pushing forward the development of bilateral relations more comprehensively.
The minister made the statement in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Tuesday, saying that Malaysia has been benefiting from the huge Chinese market, and that as cooperation between the two countries extends from sectors like trade and tourism to the more broader emerging industries, the growth of Malaysia will reach "greater heights."
China has been Malaysia's biggest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. Going forward the two sides will strengthen cooperation in the emerging sectors like artificial intelligence, high-end manufacturing, the semi-conductor industry, the digital economy, and green development, according to a joint statement released by the two sides in June.
"As far as Malaysia is concerned, we have benefited from the opening up of China. You can have access to the Chinese market, which is huge, for a country like Malaysia. We have a lot of trade, movement between Malaysia and China and not only in terms of goods, but in terms of movement of people, for example, and you have an influx of millions of Chinese visitors to Malaysia every year right now. Increasingly, we have seen a lot of manufacturing. Recently, we also have seen a lot of high-end products, including semiconductors, including investment into data centers, digital economy and so forth. So, all these growths, of course, propel Malaysia to greater heights," said the minister.
The two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in rail transportation and in infrastructure construction, the joint statement said, noting that key projects like the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and "Two Countries, Twin Parks" should be the focuses.
The ECRL is a joint venture between Malaysia and China, said the minister, adding that if the project stands as successful program of cooperation between the two countries, it will encourage a greater presence of Chinese business in Malaysia.
"East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is a Belt and Road Initiative project. It's a huge project. A railway network of more than 650 kilometers. And more significantly is that the operational model that it's a joint venture between Malaysia and China. In the case of the ECRL, the Chinese side is prepared to even operate with us together. So, they are sharing the risks with us and it is to their benefit to ensure the success of the project. What I mean by success is Number One, the utilization of the tracks, the utilization of the railway must reach optimum point. And if you want to achieve, you have to ensure that there are more industrialization along the railway network. So, this is something which I think the Chinese government looks at it strategically, so, to ensure the success of the project together with Malaysia and also encourage more Chinese companies to set up their base along the railway network," he said.
Once being put into operation, the ECRL will see a railway network that connects the eastern and the western coasts of Malaysia, greatly promoting economic development in the country's east coast region and enhancing the connectivity of the regions along the railway network.
As of mid-August, over 70 percent of the project had been finished, according to its contractor China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC).
Closer cooperation with China propels Malaysia "to greater heights": minister
