French energy giant TotalEnergies expects to install a new floating storage and offloading vessel offshore Nigeria by the end of 2027 as part of efforts to maintain long-term crude oil production, a company official said Tuesday.
The new vessel, named Adiana, will replace the ageing FSO Unity unit, which currently has the capacity to store 2.2 million barrels of crude oil.
Matthieu Bouyer, managing director of TotalEnergies EP Nigeria, said the replacement project would support offshore production for decades and strengthen cooperation between TotalEnergies and NNPC Limited.
In a post published on LinkedIn, Bouyer said the Adiana vessel is undergoing refurbishment at the seaport of Weihai in China before deployment to Nigerian waters.
“Moving into its refurbishment phase, FSO Adiana is scheduled to sail to its anchorage offshore Nigeria and be installed end-2027,” he said.
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Floating storage and offloading vessels are critical infrastructure for offshore oil operations, particularly in deepwater projects where pipeline networks are limited. They are used to store crude oil extracted from offshore fields before it is transferred to tankers for export.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has been seeking to revive crude output after years of declining production caused by oil theft, pipeline vandalism and underinvestment.
International oil companies, including TotalEnergies, continue to focus on offshore operations in Nigeria, where production is considered less vulnerable to security disruptions than onshore assets.
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The Adiana project forms part of broader efforts by TotalEnergies to sustain production from its offshore fields while modernising infrastructure.
The company did not disclose the cost of the refurbishment project or the expected production capacity linked to the new vessel.
TotalEnergies is one of the leading international energy companies operating in Nigeria, with interests in several offshore oil and gas projects in partnership with NNPC Ltd and other operators.
The replacement of FSO Unity is expected to help ensure continued export capacity from Nigeria’s offshore oil fields as the country seeks to maintain its role as a major crude supplier to global markets.
