On November 10, the sixth Fast4Ward® multi-purpose floating production and storage vessel (hull number: MPF6), built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding—a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation—for the Dutch company SBM OFFSHORE, was successfully launched.
The MPF6 hull incorporates SBM OFFSHORE’s proprietary “universal” hull design. The design concept is based on a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit with a crude oil storage capacity of up to 2.3 million barrels. Construction of the vessel began on July 15, 2025.
The vessel has an overall length of 333 meters and a beam of 60 meters, with a deck area equivalent to three standard football fields. It features a molded depth of 33 meters and a displacement of 460,000 tons. Designed with a multi-point mooring system, the vessel is capable of operating in the marine environments found in regions such as West Africa and South America, making it suitable for oil and gas development activities across various maritime areas worldwide.
As previously reported, on December 20, 2024, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding announced that it had formally signed a contract with SBM Offshore for the construction of the hull of the sixth 2.3-million-barrel “general-purpose” FPSO. To date, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding has secured orders for six FPSO hulls from SBM Offshore, with the first five delivered in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively.