Page 32: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2013)

32 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? APRIL 2013 IMA has just completed an in-depth analysis of the ß oating production sector. The study pro Þ les the deep- water industry, examines the dy- namics driving the sector and forecasts orders for ß oating production systems between 2013 and 2017. Highlighted be-low are some key Þ ndings in the study. Growing Inventory of Floating Production SystemsThere are now 264 ß oating production systems in operation. The number of units is 25% greater than Þ ve years ago, almost 85% higher than 10 years back and triple the number of units 15 years ago. Most of the growth has been in the number of Floating Production, Storage and Ofß oading Vessels (FPSOs). This Þ gure has increased by 114 units over the past 15 years.FPSOs now account for 63% of the existing systems. The balance is com- prised of production semis, tension leg platforms, production spars, production barges and ß oating regasi Þ cation/storage units. In addition to ß oating production systems, another 102 ß oating storage/ ofß oading units (FSOs) are in service. Brazil is the largest location in terms of number of ß oating production systems now operating. There are now 55 FPSs in service offshore Brazil. The Þ gure in- cludes 35 FPSOs, 18 production semis and 2 FSRUs. West Africa is second larg- est with 48 FPUs in service, followed by the Gulf of Mexico (47 units), Northern Europe (39 units) and Southeast Asia (27 units).Backlog of Production Floater Orders The number of production ß oaters on order is at an all-time high. The current order backlog consists of 77 production ß oaters ? 44 FPSOs, seven production semis, Þ ve TLPs, Þ ve spars, four FLNGs and 12 FSRUs. Delivery of the equip-ment will grow the production ß oater inventory by 29%.In the backlog are 46 units utilizing purpose-built hulls and 31 units based on converted tanker hulls. Of the produc-tion ß oaters being built, 46 are owned OFFSHOREFloating Production Systems by Jim McCaul, International Maritime Associates, Inc.Forecast to grow 40% in 5 Years 3D Model of FPU0204060801001201401601802001998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013FPSO SEMI TLP SPAR FSRU FPU Growth 0102030405060Location of Production Floaters 0510152025303540<1000m 1000-1500m>1500m Planned Floater Projects MR #4 (26-33).indd 32MR #4 (26-33).indd 324/2/2013 9:37:17 AM4/2/2013 9:37:17 AM