ABS Issues Basic Design Review Certification to Hanwha Ocean for South American and West African FPSOs
Standardized Approach is a Move Away from Project-Specific Custom Designs
(HOUSTON) ABS has issued a Basic Design Review (BDR) certification to Hanwha Ocean for a standardized floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) design developed for the South American and West African deepwater market, alongside related sustainability reviews for the same design.
The certification covers Hanwha Ocean’s front-end engineering design (FEED) for the FPSO and reflects ABS’ review of the unit’s core design documentation and technical standards across key systems, including the hull, topsides and mooring arrangement. ABS also issued approval in principle for the FPSO, which includes design features incorporated to satisfy the SUSTAIN-2 notation requirements.
In addition, ABS issued a Statement of Fact for Hanwha Ocean’s Project Sustainability Execution Plan (PSEP). The PSEP extends the sustainability framework into systematic project execution by linking sustainability requirements with engineering deliverables, key performance indicators, responsibilities and verification evidence. Together, these reviews support Hanwha Ocean’s broader development of its Low Carbon Standard FPSO, building sustainability execution into the standardized FPSO platform for future project applications.
The design has been engineered as a repeatable, standardized floating platform, enhancing the efficiency and scalability of traditional FPSO development approaches. Hanwha Ocean intends to apply the design to large-scale projects in South America and West Africa, where deepwater field development activity continues to grow.
“We are proud to support Hanwha Ocean as they advance their FPSO standardization strategy for the South American and West African markets. These areas are focal points for global deepwater production activity, and ABS has the technical knowledge and regional presence to support clients at every stage of development in that market,” said Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore Markets.
The certification follows Hanwha Ocean's completion of a separate pre-FEED for deepwater oil and gas fields in West Africa, for which ABS issued an approval in principle. Together, the two programs represent Hanwha Ocean's strategy to build a portfolio of standardized FPSO designs across the world's primary deepwater production markets, reducing project execution timelines and improving cost competitiveness through proven design platforms.
Philippe Levy, President of Hanwha Ocean EPU, said, "The certification from ABS is a strong endorsement of Hanwha Ocean's FPSO engineering capabilities and technological excellence. Building on our differentiated standardized FPSO platform, we will further strengthen our competitiveness in the global FPSO market while delivering optimized solutions tailored to the unique characteristics and requirements of key offshore regions."
ABS brings deep technical experience and a global offshore engineering network to support clients across every stage of FPSO development, from early design review through classification and lifecycle operations. Learn more about ABS services supporting the FPSO market here.
Photo Caption 1 (L to R): Jijo Varghese, Hanwha Ocean Topsides Engineering Project Manager; Boon Joon Chin, ABS Director, Engineering; Kwang Soo Kim, Hanwha Ocean Head of Engineering Project Management; Avik Roy, ABS Senior Manager, Offshore Business Development; Adel Trabelsi, Hanwha Ocean Head of Engineering; Arnab Ghosh, ABS Vice President, Regional Business Development; Bai Liguo, Hanwha Ocean Head of Global Project Office; James Koo, Hanwha Ocean Head of Global Hull & Marine Engineering; Joe Price, Hanwha Ocean Head of Global Mooring Engineering; SeungChul Han, Hanwha Aerospace, Vice President, Offshore Plant Team, Strategy Office; JongHyun Choi, Hanwha Aerospace, General Manager, Offshore Plant Team, Strategy Office; Yasuhito Ota, Hanwha Ocean Head of Global Topside Engineering; and Cristiano Vieira, Hanwha Ocean Head of Regulatory Compliance.
Photo Caption 2 (L to R): Woongyul Bae, Hanwha Ocean General Manager; Ho-Byung Jung, Hanwha Ocean Team Leader; Sky Lee, Hanwha Ocean Head of Houston; Hyun-Jin Kim, Hanwha Ocean Vice President; Philippe Levy, Hanwha Ocean President; Hasan Turkmen, ABS Director, North Pacific Regional Operations; Kwang-Nam Jung, ABS Director, Korea Business Development; and Hyun-Buki Jeon, ABS Director, North Pacific Regional Offshore Business
