China finishes work on mega oil and gas platform destined for the Gulf
- The platform, hailed as a ‘breakthrough’ by state media, can deliver 24 million tonnes of oil a year from Saudi Arabia’s Marjan oil field
China has finished construction of a giant offshore oil and gas platform, state media reported on Monday.
The platform, which took three years to build, is 24 storeys high, weighs more than 17,000 tonnes and has a deck that is the same size as 15 basketball courts, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
It has one of the world’s biggest transmission capacities and will be capable of delivering 24 million tonnes of crude oil and 7.4 billion cubic metres of gas every year once fully operational, the report said.
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China constructs ‘world’s-heaviest’ oil and gas platform destined for Saudi Arabia
The platform, which was built in the eastern port of Qingdao by the state-owned China Offshore Oil Engineering Company, will be transported to the Marjan oil field in the Gulf at the end of the month.
“The completion of the Marjan oil and gas platform marks a breakthrough in China’s technology in large-scale offshore oil and gas equipment construction,” CCTV said.
China has aimed to boost its strength in advanced manufacturing as part of efforts to move up the industrial chain.
The Marjan oil field lies off the east coast of Saudi Arabia and is owned and operated by the state-owned oil and gas company Saudi Aramco.
