Type:
Oil
Facility:
Production
Water Depth:
140
Installed:
1994
meters
Block:
16/26
Design:
Floating steel
Sub Structure:
0
Topsides Wgt:
23674
tonnes
tonnes
Intro
The Alba FSU is a permanently moored Floating Storage Unit located in the UK Central North Sea, serving the Alba oil field. Installed in 1994, it receives stabilized crude oil from the Alba platform for storage and subsequent offloading to shuttle tankers. The unit has no drilling or processing capability.
Field
The Alba oil field lies in the Central North Sea within Block 16/26 and produces oil from Jurassic sandstone reservoirs. Discovered in 1984, the field was developed using a fixed production platform and offshore storage due to oil properties and export considerations.
Facilities
The FSU functions exclusively as a crude oil storage and export facility. Stabilized oil is transferred from the Alba production platform via subsea pipeline and riser systems into the vessel’s cargo tanks. Facilities include cargo pumping systems, inert gas generation, crude circulation and heating, and custody transfer metering for tanker offloading. Offloading is conducted in tandem to shuttle tankers. Marine systems include ballast control, bilge systems, and station-keeping moorings designed for long-term service. Safety systems include fire and gas detection, fixed firefighting systems, and emergency shutdown interfaces with the Alba platform. The FSU does not handle produced water or gas beyond basic storage conditioning.
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