Source: Royal Dutch Shell PlcThe world’s deepest oil and gas project is producing an estimated 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day at peak production, which is only made possible by deploying an innovative floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility.

An ultra-deep area of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico is home to the Stones field which is a deep-sea reservoir with a depth around 8,077 meters (26,500 feet) below sea level. The field was discovered in 2005 and is owned and operated exclusively by Royal Dutch Shell PLC. To tap into the resources they deployed a next-generation FPSO facility known as the Turritella.

The Turritella is unique in that it is designed with a disconnectable buoy configured with steel lazy wave risers. The system is able to detach from the buoy which carries mooring lines and risers from the well system when a heavy storm or hurricane approaches.