China delivers largest international offshore oil platform to Saudi Arab marking a new step in its energy cooperation.
China has completed the construction of the heaviest international offshore oil and gas platform, weighing 17,000 tonnes, marking a significant achievement in the country’s offshore oil and gas equipment construction technology. The platform was officially delivered on Monday after 34 months of work in Qingdao, Shandong Province.
Later this month, the platform will be transported by a large cargo ship to its installation site, located 6,400 nautical miles away in Saudi Arabian waters. The platform’s primary function is to gather extracted offshore oil and gas and transport it to land for processing. It includes complex equipment like large manifolds, pipeline cleaning systems, chemical treatment units, and operation controls.
Furthermore, The platform’s deck area is equivalent to 15 standard basketball courts, and its height surpasses that of a 24-story residential building. This massive structure is capable of collecting and transporting 24 million tonnes of crude oil and 7.4 billion cubic meters of gas annually, setting records for platform scale, pipeline types and sizes, and system complexity compared to similar international platforms.
Marjan Platform of Aramco
Known as the Marjan platform, it serves as a central hub for collecting and transporting offshore oil and gas to land for processing. The platform’s complex system includes a network of pipelines, chemical treatment, and operational control systems, making it a key terminal for offshore oilfields.
Experts believe that projects like the Marjan platform demonstrate the high level of complementarity between China and Saudi Arabia, reflecting their deepening cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Consequently, once installed in Saudi Arabian waters, the Marjan platform will help boost the production capacity of the Marjan oilfield. When fully operational, the oilfield’s annual crude oil production is expected to reach 24 million tonnes.
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