Floating production, storage and offloading vessels have been the offshore development solution of choice for some time, a trend set to continue over the next several years.

A recent Rytsad Energy report forecast that from this year to 2030, 48 FPSOs will be awarded for greenfield developments, along with dozens of life-extension projects and redeployments.

Unfortunately for oil and gas companies looking to make production cleaner, the projected growth comes with an attendant escalation in greenhouse gas emissions.

Rystad says the FPSO sector will be responsible for 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions this year, increasing to almost 50 million tonnes per annum by the end of the decade, “unless steps are taken to curb emissions”.