The FPSO Florence will enable the start-up of production from the Baleine field, currently the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Côte d’Ivoire, with an estimated 2.5 billion barrels of oil in place and 3.3 trillion cubic feet of associated gas. The Baleine development is also expected to become Africa’s first net-zero upstream project. Upon its arrival in Ivory Coast, the vessel will be renamed FPSO Baleine. The unit has been refurbished and upgraded to process up to 15,000 barrels of oil per day (bbl/d) and approximately 25 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) of associated gas. All produced gas will be transported onshore through a newly constructed export pipeline.

The project involves the development of the Quiluma and Maboqueiro non-associated gas fields through two offshore platforms, pipeline connections and an onshore gas treatment plant designed to feed the Angola LNG plant in Soyo. Its objective is to enhance the value of Angola’s natural gas resources, ensure a stable gas supply to the LNG plant and strengthen the national energy value chain.

The Scarabeo 5 is a semi-submersible offshore unit belonging to Saipem, originally designed as a 4th-generation drilling floater for exploration and production activities in harsh and subarctic environments. In 2023, Saipem was awarded a contract by Eni Congo to convert the unit into a Floating Production Unit — FPU for the Congo LNG Project. Once installed offshore the Republic of Congo, northwest of the Djeno Terminal, the unit will separate gas and liquids and compress the gas to feed a nearby FLNG unit.