China's first intelligent offshore drilling platform installed in South China Sea

China's first intelligent offshore drilling platform, the "Huizhou 26-6," was installed in the South China Sea on Friday, according to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

The massive structure, located roughly 230 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province, weighs over 30,000 tonnes and boasts a deck area as spacious as eight standard basketball courts. The platform sits atop oil and gas fields with an average water depth of 112 meters and holds proven geological reserves estimated at 50 million cubic meters of oil equivalent.

The intelligent drilling platform packs three times the equipment of a traditional one, yet occupies one-third less space. This translates to a suite of powerful functions like intelligent production, drilling, equipment health management and security. These advancements are estimated to improve production efficiency by 20 percent and reduce operation and maintenance costs by 10 percent annually, said the project team. 

Wei Weirong, vice general manager of the project team, recalled that installing the massive upper block of the "Huizhou 26-6" platform presented a unique challenge. Traditional cranes couldn't handle its weight. To overcome this hurdle, the project team devised a unique solution. They harnessed the power of the tides, along with cutting-edge ship-load adjustment technologies, to meticulously position the block. 

This innovative approach ensured the block fit perfectly onto the jacket, achieving millimeter-level precision, as the docking accuracy of the block insertion tip and the jacket was at such millimeter level, said Li Tao, general manager of the oilfield development project.