The floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit Ailsa undocked last week in Singapore, marking the first time the FSO’s hull has touched the water.

Ailsa is destined for the gas production field Culzean in the UK North Sea which is expected to come on stream in 2019.

“It’s a significant milestone for the project. It marks a major step towards readying the FSO to leave Singapore next year and travel to the North Sea,” Claus Vissing-Jorgensen, Deputy Project Director and Facilities Manager, Maersk Oil, commented.

“Construction of the FSO has been spread across six different yards in Singapore and Indonesia so it’s been a real challenge to make sure everything stays in sync and on track,” Lars Banke, Site and Interface Manager, explained.

Now the FSO is afloat, focus moves to finishing off the turret and topside sections striving for mechanical completion at year-end, according to the company.

“The team will next be working on installing the turret which is a pivotal piece of the mooring system and also the FSO topsides, key to processing the condensate when on board,” Steve Michie, FSO and Subsea Manager, said.

“At the same time, we’re preparing for our two-month tow from Singapore to the UK North Sea waters and the subsequent offshore commissioning campaign,” he added.