Recently, China’s first offshore mobile multifunctional stimulation platform, “Production Booster No. 1,” designed and constructed by CNOOC Energy Technology & Services Limited, successfully completed its keel-laying operation in Qingdao, Shandong, marking a significant milestone in the platform’s construction.
Keel-laying is a symbolic milestone in shipbuilding. Traditionally, it involves installing the keel—the central longitudinal load-bearing structure at the bottom of the hull, akin to the ship’s “backbone”—onto the slipway. In modern shipbuilding, the term is still used to describe the placement of the first hull section onto the assembly blocks, with the keel-laying date considered the vessel’s “birthday.”
Since construction began in early April, “Production Booster No. 1” has initiated the fabrication of 23 hull sections, with two already completed. Despite challenges such as limited workspace and prolonged high temperatures, the project team adopted an innovative “Party-building + Project” management model. By collaborating with key stakeholders through Party-building activities, they efficiently implemented measures outlined in the QHSE co-construction commitment letter. Leveraging this mechanism, the project achieved its milestone 18 days ahead of schedule, accumulating 80,616 safe man-hours and laying a solid foundation for subsequent construction.
Currently, on-site workers are advancing tasks such as material cutting, structural component fabrication, section assembly, and painting to ensure the main hull is completed on schedule.
“Production Booster No. 1” incorporates internationally leading design concepts and integrates multiple innovative technologies. It is the first to adopt a columnar multi-layer jetting system, improving towing and positioning efficiency by 15%. Additionally, it introduces a customized AI model for localized deployment, utilizing digital twin technology to dynamically monitor personnel, equipment, energy consumption, and production processes across the platform. This enables real-time risk analysis, prediction, and intelligent management.
As China’s first mobile platform integrating functions such as heavy oil thermal recovery, fracturing, acidizing, and profile control, “Production Booster No. 1” is independently designed and built by CNOOC Energy Technology & Services. Expected to be delivered in the first half of 2026, it will initially serve the Bohai Oilfield. Once operational, the platform will not only support conventional offshore oil extraction but also perform stimulation measures like mobile heat injection, fracturing, acidizing, profile control, and heavy oil thermal recovery. It will effectively meet diverse offshore oilfield production enhancement needs, playing a vital role in the mid-to-late-stage development of offshore oil and gas fields.
