Dubai Drydocks has been awarded a $25 million (Dh92 million) contract, one of its largest this year, to convert a giant tanker into a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Work on Knock Adoon, a 240,000-tonne very large crude carrier (VLCC) owned by Fred Olsen Production (FOP), will begin in early November and be completed within 12 months, said Jens Richard Larsson, marketing manager of Dubai Drydocks.

"The work will include installation of topside production modules, loading and offloading units, mooring equipment, a new accommodation block for 100 people and a helipad," he said.

Steel and pipe modifications and tank coating will also be done, he added.

The topside modules are being fabricated by specialist UAE companies contracted by the shipowners. Installation of the modules on the ship will be done by the Drydocks, said Larsson.

The conversion work at the Drydocks, excluding the building of topside modules, corresponds to a work volume in excess of a million man hours, he said.

FOP, which is indirectly wholly-owned by Oslo-based Ganger Rolf and Bonheur, has concluded an agreement with Addax Petroleum (Nigeria) for employment of Knock Adoon as FPSO for the Antan project offshore Nigeria.

FOP has been active in the offshore oil and gas production field since 1994.

An FPSO is a moored tanker-type vessel used to develop an offshore oil field. Oil is stored within the FPSO until offloaded to a tanker for transportation to a terminal or refinery

This is the second large contract to be undertaken for FOP by Drydocks following last year's conversion of the Swedish company's 564,763 tonne 'Knock Nevis' (ex-Jahre Viking), the world's largest crude carrier.

©Gulf News