Saipem secures FPU job as part of Eni’s Congo FLNG project

Italian contractor Saipem has secured an FPU conversion contract from compatriot energy firm Eni as part of the latter’s Congo FLNG project.

Eni Congo awarded the contract to Saipem for the conversion of the Scarabeo 5 semisubmersible drilling unit into a separation and boosting plant, or a floating production unit, according to a statement by Saipem.

The FPU is a semisubmersible production platform that receives the production fluids from wellheads riser platforms, separate the gas from liquids and boosts the gas in order to feed the nearby floating LNG (FLNG) unit, it said.

The contract, subsequent to an agreement signed early this year for the execution of preliminary engineering and procurement activities, includes the engineering, procurement, construction, transportation and commissioning of the FPU.

Saipem will install the unit offshore the coast of Congo, located northwest of the Djeno terminal, in a depth of about 35 meters.

The firm expects the commissioning offshore works and the start-up of the FPU to start in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Besides this contract, Saipem also secured a contract from BP for the Argos FPU.

Combined, these deals are worth around $700 million, the firm said.

Two floating LNG producers

The FPU conversion contract is part of Eni’s Congo LNG project, the country’s first natural gas liquefaction project, Saipem said.

The project is expected to reach an overall LNG production capacity of 3 million tons per year from 2025.

In August last year, Eni signed a deal to buy Exmar’s Tango FLNG and expects the unit to start production in 2023.

The floating LNG producer, delivered in 2017 by China’s Wison, has a storage capacity of 16,100 cbm as well as a liquefaction capacity of up to 0.6 million tons per year.

Wison is also building a larger FLNG for Saipem with a capacity of 2.4 mtpa.

The Chinese firm won this contract in December last year and officially started work on the project in January this year.

Most Popular

Monkey Island LNG selects ConocoPhillips’ liquefaction tech

Monkey Island LNG has selected ConocoPhillips’ optimized cascade process liquefaction technology for its planned 26 mtpa liquefaction and export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

Italy’s Adriatic LNG to resume full ops by mid-September

Italy’s Adriatic LNG import terminal, owned by VTTI and Snam, expects to resume full operations by the middle of this month following the completion of maintenance activities.

Gasgrid says seven Inkoo regas slots booked

Firms have booked seven regasification slots at the Inkoo FSRU-based terminal for 2026 following the completion of the annual allocation procedure, according to Finland’s gas system and LNG terminal operator Gasgrid.

More News Like This

Eni, Exmar in arbitration over Tango FLNG performance bonus

Italian energy firm Eni and Belgian gas shipping firm Exmar are in arbitration over a performance bonus related to the operation of the Tango floating LNG facility, which serves Eni's Congo LNG project.

Eni’s Nguya FLNG ready to start serving second phase of Congo LNG project

Italian energy firm Eni hosted on Tuesday the sail-away ceremony for the Nguya floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit in Shanghai, China. The unit is ready to start serving the second phase of Eni's Congo LNG project.

YPF CEO sees FIDs on FLNG projects with Eni, Shell in Q1 2026

Argentina’s state-owned oil and gas company YPF and its partners Eni and Shell may take final investment decisions on two stages of the Argentina LNG project in the first quarter of 2026, according to YPF CEO Horacio Marin.

Inpex launches Abadi LNG FEED work

Japan's Inpex has launched the front-end engineering design (FEED) work for the Abadi LNG project in Indonesia. The contractors include Technip Energies, JGC, Saipem, Tripatra, McDermott, and Worley.