TOTAL set to build FPSO

Total, the French oil giant, is to construct a large billion-dollar floating production, storage and off loading vessel for its Usan field in the deep offshore region off Nigeria.

The Usan field is set to contribute towards attaining Nigeria?s target of four million barrels per day of crude by the turn of the decade.

The FPSO will have the capacity to store two million barrels of crude and Total is set to receive commercial bids from a number of shipbuilders including Daewoo, Hyundai, KBR and Technip. Certain elements of the facility would be built in Nigeria as part of efforts to boost local content development in the country.

It is expected that first oil from the Usan field would come on stream in 2010.