00 01
After 4 years of works between Korea, Norway and Angola, the FPSO CLOV has reached its final destination on Block 17 off the Angolan coast. This enormous 350-meter barge is a floating factory – for the production and storage of hydrocarbons, tied to 34 underwater wells. A factory that is about to experience a mythical moment for any FPSO – First Oil – the arrival of the first drop of oil on board. The final procedure will last three days, and its starts … like this:

DAY 1

« 3, 2, 1… »

00 42
Right now, the entire FPSO power supply is being cut, to simulate a massive electricity outage. The aim of the exercise is to restart the entire installation as quickly as possible.
Live
« Ok so we are going to restart the plant »

00 59
The maintenance teams took just over two hours to restart the FPSO’s basic functionalities. Under normal operating conditions it would have allowed the production to continue freely. Once restart has been completed, the teams begin the first stage of production. CLOV starts by importing gas from two other FPSOs nearby : Dalia and Girassol. This is necessary for the start of production.

Lionel Taburet
« It takes months of preparation to get the baby operationnal
but the real moment is when we decide on the grenn light to launch the operations and import the gas »

01 31
The arrival of the gas in all the pipes is a delicate operation. They must watch out for any risk of leak. The operation will last all night.

DAY 2

Donald Feikema
« Attention, attention all personnel. We are going to try to ignite the flare »

Donald Feikema
« The moment the flare lit up is a the first step towards first oil. It’s the first visible event that you have hydrocarbons in the plant. The effect on the people, well, it’s « Now we are there » »

02 15
The flaring is just a provisional safety measure, enabling, if necessary, all hydrocarbons arriving on board to be burnt, to evacuate them. On CLOV, to preserve the environment, there will be no flaring under normal operating conditions.

02 28
Everything is ready, or nearly, to receive the oil. The on-board teams have been working for 5 days on the very last stage – the Line Up. The opening or closing of each one of the 8,500 valves equipping the 70,000 km of pipes must be checked.
Overnight from 11 to 12 June, everything is ready, and the first wells can be opened.

DAY 3

Donald Feikema
This morning is the day for which we have been working for during the whole project. It’s the D day for CLOV.

Sébastien Moindrot – Responsable de la partie sous-marine (Live)
« We are going to prepare the well by opening the bottom valve. »

« Now you are ready to open the well »

03 16
9 hours after the first well has been opened, the First Oil finally arrives on board.

Pascal Fourcade
« For most of us here on the start up teams and field ops, we’ve benn working on the project for two years, and to see the first oil really is a crowning moment. »

03 35
First Oil marks the culmination of 4 years of work, but it is also the beginning of 20 years of production for the FPSO CLOV and its teams.

Donald Feikema
« Everybody is working towards the first oil, that’s why we have the project that’s why we have CLOV. We are here to produce oil. »