Wison New Energies kicked off hull construction of the Baleine Phase 3 FPSO project in Côte d’Ivoire on August 30, marking the occasion with the first steel plate cutting as the EPCIC general contractor. Wison had previously been involved in the project’s Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) and is now undertaking the EPCIC scope, including engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning.
This type of FPSO measures approximately 308 meters in length, 57 meters in beam, and 29.8 meters in depth, with an operating water depth of 800 to 1,200 meters. It is designed to process 90,000 barrels of crude oil, 80,000 barrels of produced water, and 160 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, with a crude oil storage capacity of approximately 1.4 million barrels and a design service life of at least 20 years.
Once this FPSO enters operation, the daily crude oil production capacity of the Baleine field will increase from 60,000 to 150,000 barrels, and the daily natural gas processing capacity will rise from approximately 80 million to 200 million cubic feet. The natural gas produced by the project is intended to meet Côte d’Ivoire’s domestic energy and industrial needs.
In May 2026, Italian energy giant Eni and its project partners made a final investment decision (FID) on the Baleine oil and gas field phase III project, with a total project investment of approximately US$4 billion.
Two months later, Wison New Energies announced that it had signed the FPSO EPCIC general contract for the Baleine oil and gas field phase III project with Eni and Altera Infrastructure (the owner and operator of the FPSO).
After the completion of this type of FPSO, Altera Infrastructure will provide long-term operating services to Eni based on a 15-year lease and related operating agreements.