Kongsberg Maritime Contract in Malaysia

The Process Simulation unit in Kongsberg Maritime has been awarded a contract by Gusto MSC (Dutch company), for a dynamic process simulation study for a Floating Production, Storage and Off-loading vessel (FPSO) under construction in Malaysia.
The Malaysian order was originally obtained by Fantoft Process Technologies, but Fantoft was June last year acquired by the Norwegian oil and gas company Kongsberg Maritime. This January, the merger was completed and Fantoft is now integrated with Kongsberg Maritime’s existing unit for process simulation services to form one of the most powerful simulation entities in the world.
The contract in Malaysia includes performing a dynamic simulation study of the topside process system of the new build FPSO for the Kikeh field. The system includes crude oil separation, gas dehydration, and gas and water injection.
The main purpose of the study is to define the sensitivity of the process design to fluctuations in operating parameters such as flow, pressure and molecular weight, which will occur during various operating conditions like start-up, shut-down, compressor trip, equipment failure etc.

Competitive outside the North Sea
“This project shows that Norwegian high-tech is able to compete outside the North Sea,” says Knut Erik Spilling, head of Sales & Marketing, Process Simulation unit in Kongsberg Maritime.
“The project will strengthen our position in Malaysia, where the market is on the move from shallow to deep-water projects,” he adds. 
“In addition to the new Malaysian project, we have several other projects in Asia” he says, “including China and Korea. Last year, we also established an office in India, where we currently employ 10 experienced engineers, all of them Indian nationals.”
Knut Erik Spilling also mentions that the company has worked in Malaysia before, employed by Petronas on the MLNG Tiga LNG project.
“As part of our commitment in Asia we will partake in the 2007 OGA (the 11^th Asian oil, gas & petrochemical engineering exhibition) in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre 13^th -15^th of June 2007,” he adds.
The FPSO is currently under construction by Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad (MISC) and is due for delivery to the Kikeh field in the second half of 2007. The Kikeh FPSO is owned and operated by SBM Offshore and MISC and will be operated by this Joint Venture at the Kikeh field offshore Malaysia under a long-term lease with Murphy Sabah Oil Co., Ltd. It will be the first deepwater development in Malaysia and will include the deepest installation of sub sea trees in Asia to date, down to 1300 meters water depth.
The FPSO will be moored for the contract duration, including options which may extend to more than 20 years. It uses an external turret mooring system that allows the vessel to take up the heading of least resistance against the prevailing environmental conditions.

Fantoft background
Prior to its merger with Kongsberg Maritime, Fantoft Process Technologies boasts a 20-year history as an experienced independent supplier of process simulation models for various applications. This includes a number of references to projects similar to the proposed Kikeh dynamic simulation study for Gusto MSC.
The company has previously carried out similar dynamic simulation studies for other FPSOs owned by SBM Offshore. Fantoft was headquartered from Norway and had subsidiaries in UK, US and India, and was providing services within the field of dynamic process simulation to the oil & gas industry worldwide.