Shapoorji Pallonji’s FPSO Armada Sterling-V Achieves Sail-Away Readiness

India’s sole specialist in Floating Production Storage and Offloading Units (FPSOs), Shapoorji Pallonji Oil & Gas Pvt Ltd (SP O&G) has achieved a significant milestone of sail-away readiness for its FPSO Armada Sterling V at Sembcorp Shipyard in Singapore. The FPSO is owned by a 70:30 joint partnership between SP O&G and the Malaysian Bumi Armada business. This is the third FPSO for Indian waters and the fourth overall for Shapoorji Pallonji.

The first deep-water development by ONGC, the FPSO Armada Sterling V, will be installed in Cluster 2 of the KG 98/2 block on the east coast of India. An FPSO, a process platform, and other infrastructure are part of this development, which will cost ONGC more than $5 billion in total. With the potential to cut India’s yearly import bill by $4.5 billion, the total production of Cluster 2 is anticipated to peak at 16.5 million standard cubic meters of gas and 78,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

ONGC’s dedicated commitment to the project’s success at this vital moment will go a long way toward securing India’s energy security. As a result of the project, ONGC gained invaluable deep-water knowledge and will now be incredibly confident to undertake difficult ultra-deepwater ventures on India’s east coast.

A total of 13 modules and central pipe racks make up the FPSO, which weighs more than 20,000 tonnes and has a processing capability of 60,000 barrels of liquids and 3 million standard cubic meters of gas per day. With dimensions of 321 meters in length and 60 meters in width and a storage capacity of more than 800,000 barrels, it will be the largest “floater” in Indian seas.

The Armada Sterling V is built to operate continuously in waves that can reach a maximum height of nearly 27 meters. A group of engineers and project staff from India designed and delivered it. It is outfitted with cutting-edge technology, such as aspects of artificial intelligence and machine learning, technologies for radar-controlled oil slick surveillance, and remote monitoring.

Mr. Ravi Shankar, CEO & Director of SP O&G, commented, “In the next decade, the world will need an additional 40 FPSOs, at least 20 Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), and 10 Floating Liquified Natural Gas units (FLNGs).”

For two years running, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower has given this FPSO the prestigious SHARP award for being the best-performing FPSO project in terms of safety and health.

On the west coast of India, the joint ventures between SP O&G and Bumi Armada group also run two FPSOs, Armada Sterling and Armada Sterling II, with some of the finest uptimes in the FPSO sector. In all three categories—Occupational Health & Safety Management System, Process Safety Management System, and Environmental Sustainability Management System—both of these FPSOs just received the coveted 5-star designation from the British Safety Council. The British Safety Council’s renowned “Globe of Honor award” was also given to them.